Invisible Barriers
by Merlin's Quill
Summary: **Chapter 18 UP** Someone tries to set Lily and James up, which does sort-of succeed, but then Lily is attacked and everyone points their finger at James. It doesn't stop there, though, when everything goes out of control... way out of control.
1. Secret Letters

**Boring But Necessary Legal Stuff:** All the names you recognize belong to J.K.Rowling. I own Ariel, Jonathan, and pretty much all of the spells. Ummm… I think that's it.

Chapter 1: Secret Letters 

                                                                   **_Meet me alone in the trophy room at midnight.**_

                                                                                                                   _---A secret admirer  _

       Lily Evans stared at the note the owl had just dropped in her lap. Secret admirer? _Her?? _ _Hmm… _she mused,_ I wonder who it is._

       One of the pumpkins floating around the Great Hall peeked over her shoulder. "Oooh! A secret admirer! You go girl!"

       Lily turned around and stared daggers at the pumpkin, who shamelessly grinned its gap-toothed smile at her and floated away whistling. She hoped that Ariel, her best friend, didn't hear that, but luck decided otherwise.

       "Oh my god!" Ariel squealed. "Let me see that note!" She read it over and over again, her blue-green eyes lighting up at the secret admirer part. "You should go, Evans. Somebody made the effort to give you this note, so you might as well… but this is so great! I just have to show Siri… be right back, Evans." Sirius Black was a fellow 5th year and Ariel's steady boyfriend.

       "You wouldn't, Ariel Silvershay!" Give that back!"

       Ariel just laughed. "I won't if you go."

       "Oh, fine."

~*~*~*~

       Meanwhile, James Potter was staring at a piece of parchment another owl had dropped in his lap. It said the same thing as Lily's, with the exception that little hearts drawn in perfumed ink decorated the border.

       He was no stranger to these type of notes; as one of the hottest, most popular boys in school, girls flirted shamelessly with him wherever he went. That is, except red-headed Lily Evans.

       James mused over the note, trying out spells he had learned from an advanced book in the library's restricted section to see if he could determine who wrote it. Much to his surprise, he found his thoughts straying to Lily Evans. Shy, quiet, genius, goody-goody Evans. He supposed she wasn't too bad looking— not as ugly as fat Petunia Parkinson in Slytherin who had tried [not so subtly] to slip a love potion into his pumpkin juice last week. He shuddered in disgust at the very thought.

       _Lily_— it was a pretty name. It—

       "Hey Prongs! What's up?" Sirius Black slid into the vacant chair next to James and simultaneously snatched a peppermint patty from his plate. "What's the note about?"

       "What note?" Remus Lupin slid into the chair on James's other side. "Am I missing something?"

       "No, nothing at all," James muttered as he stuffed the note back into his robes. "Let's eat guys, I'm hungry." Sirius and Remus exchanged looks. James usually shared things with them— if he didn't want to share the note, then it was probably very important, secretive, or both. 

       They shrugged, and resumed eating.

~*~*~

       As they were doing their Transfiguration note for Professor Marcus, Remus remarked offhandedly to Sirius, "Lily's well— different— today. She—"

       "Whoa, slow down, Moony. Lily?" Sirius arched an eyebrow. "**_Lily?_** When did you and Evans get on first-name terms?" Sirius's face suddenly took on a mischievous grin. "You know, we could double date. You and Evans, Ariel and me."

       "Sounds good to me."

       That was the last thing James expected to hear. He knocked over his inkbottle and stained his scrolls. "_Shit_," he muttered. "**_Repario paparius_**. Shit, shit, _shit!_"

       Remus glanced at James, who was currently cursing a blue-streak because the ink had seeped into his boxers, snickered, and continued talking. "You know, when you look past the goody-goody image Evans is kinda hot."

       "SHIT! DAMMIT!" Half the people in the common room turned to stare at James. He quickly gave them one of his to-die-for grins and sat back down.

       "You okay, Prongs?" Remus asked, an odd look on his face.

       "Yeah. In a manner of speaking." James gritted his teeth and sprinted up the stairs, leaving behind Sirius's hearty guffaws and Remus's snickers. And a long trail of black ink.

~*~*~

       11:50 PM. "Aww… Lily, come on! Dress up pretty for your admirer!"

       Lily rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up, Silvershay. My actually going is more than you should hope for." Lily grinned. "You know…I'm getting sleepy—"

       Ariel snickered. "Go ahead, girl. Fall asleep. See the comfy bed? But be warned— The moment the clock chimes 12:00, Siri gets the note plus a really juicy tale."

       "You sneaky bitch," Lily said half-heartedly as she left the dormitory.

       "Bye-bye! Don't forget to protect yourself—"

       Ariel grinned as she skillfully evaded a well-aimed Jelly-Legs Jinx.

~*~*~

       James shrugged into his invisibility cloak and was about to leave the dormitory when he heard Sirius's voice behind him.

       "Going to steal some food? Get me a roll— I'm hungry."

       James rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "Why am I not surprised… but what if I'm not going to the kitchen?"

       Sirius cocked his head and grinned his famous lop-sided grin. "Going to romance a girl in the dead of night? How 'bout Evans… in her bedroom?"

       James glared at him and stalked out of the room. The idea was much too appealing for his own comfort.

~*~*~

       Both James and Lily headed to the trophy room along separate corridors, musing over the pieces of parchment they had received that evening. Normally owls came during the morning— evening appearances were very rare (the owl had to be bribed). Who would bother to—

       A terrifying, piercing scream echoed through the halls.

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I promise I **will** put up more chapters, probably in the next couple days or so. I need to type them up. 

**Review** please--- I want to know what you think. It's my first Harry Potter fanfic, well, Lily/James fic.

      **~*~*~*~*~*~*~LILY AND JAMES FICS RULE!!!!!!!!  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

                                                                                    


	2. A Meeting

**So I Don't Get Sued:** Most of the characters (except Ariel and Jonathan) belong to J.K. Rowling. I envy her. However, most of the spells are mine.

Cassidy, I luv u gal. Thanx for reviewing--- I'll try to keep the curses out, but there are some that give the story character and just can't be taken out. 

Chapter 2: A Meeting 

       Both Lily and James raced back towards the empty classroom where the scream had come from. James reached it first, due to his excellent Seeker reflexes (and also because of the simple fact that he was closer). He flung open the door and froze.

       Severus Snape, a fellow but hated 5th year Slytherin, was groping and kissing (or attempting to kiss) a screaming and struggling Ariel Silvershay.

       "Snape, you bastard! Get your filthy hands off Ariel this instant!" Lily shoved James out of the way, wand fully out and ready. Her face was as red as her hair from both the effort of running and from fury.

       Snape lifted his head and backed up from the wall where he had Ariel pinned up against. She immediately ran towards Lily, rubbing her arms and wiping her mouth.

       "Well, well. If it isn't the Mudblood and Potter," Severus sneered. He advanced towards Lily, face glowering and hand raised.

       James shoved past Lily and Ariel and planted himself firmly in front of them. "C'mon, Snape. Take a swing at me— I dare you." He shoved Lily and Ariel partly out of the classroom and leaned lazily against the wall. "You chicken?"

       Severus sneered. "Acting the hero, Potter? You know, you—" Without warning he took a swing at James's head.

       He ducked under Snape's arm, grabbed it, twisted it behind his back, and flipped his face first into the wall, hard. Groaning, Severus slid to the floor, holding his broken nose. James sat on bim for good measure and beckoned for Lily and Ariel to come in again. 

       Ariel's eyes shined with admiration--- and possibly something else Lily couldn't read. "My hero," she breathed.

       Then she looked down at James's cushion and her eyes hardened. "Let him up for a minute, James."

       "You sure?"

       "Positive."

       James slowly got up and hauled Severus up by the scruff of his neck. When he let go, Snape crumpled to the floor. Sighing, James reached back down and pulled him back up, keeping a hold on the back of his robes.

       When Severus cracked open an eye and saw Ariel, unshed tears of anger in his eyes and face glowering, he straightened.

       "You know very well that you were here waiting for me---"

       Ariel slapped him hard across his left cheek. His head snapped to the side, and the blood flowing from his nose flew thru the air. Lily jumped to the side as his blood splattered on the floor and grimaced.

       "You--- bitch---" Snape growled. He moved as if to slap Ariel, but James hauled him back and put him in a headlock (but in a position where none of Snape's blood would stain his robes).

       "Let me have my fun with him, hero," Ariel said, smiling maliciously. As James stepped away, she gripped the front of Snape's robes and punched him in both eyes.

       With a visible effort, Severus straightened. Ariel kicked him again in the stomach and sent him flying into James. The two boys grappled on the ground, ripping robes and throwing blows which sometimes connected with an audible thud.

       James finally managed to maneuver himself on top of Snape, legs straddling his waist and hands fisted in his robes.

       "That's enough for today, folks," James drawled sarcastically. He half-dragged, half-hauled Snape out into the halls and dumped him unceremoniously on the floor.

       Lily suddenly turned to Ariel and asked, "What are you doing here, Ariel? I thought you were going to bed when I left. Wait," Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Don't tell me you---"

       Ariel winked cheekily at Lily, blew a kiss at James (who was just returning from the halls), and sauntered off, leaving Lily and James together in the empty classroom.

       There was a moment of uneasy silence in the room. Then James turned to Lily and said, "What are _you_ doing here after midnight?"

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**REVIEW**, please. Shame on you if you haven't reviewed any of my chapters. The third chapter should be up in a half an hour or so, after I finish typing it up.

**~*~*~*~*~JAMES AND LILY FICS RULE!!!!~*~*~*~*~**


	3. You sent that note!

**Do I have to Keep Putting This?:** ::mutters:: I hope you all have figured it out by now that I don't own any of the characters except Ariel and Jonathan. I also own some of the spells. Other than that, they all belong to the Archangel J.K. Rowling.

All of you that have reviewed--- I absolutely luv you. You guyz are the best. ::tears of happiness running down my cheeks:: It's my first hp story, and 8 reviews in 2 days! Now I'm bouncing off the walls.

I won't bore you with my incessant chatter any longer--- here's Chapter 3. It's kind of short. I know, I know, I'm evil, but next time I'll put Chapters 4, 5, and 6 all up together. It's a lot of typing, so it might be a while. Okay, I'll shut up. Read.

**Chapter 3: You sent that note!**

       Lily narrowed her eyes at James's accusing tone. "I could ask _you_ the same thing. What are _you_ doing here?"

       They both separately thought about the pieces of parchment tucked safely away in their robes and blushed.

       "Meeting a lover, Lily?"

       She blushed even redder. _Hot damn!_ James thought. _Could she have sent the note?_

       Then, Lily saw the Invisibility Cloak tucked under James's robes.

       "Am I too much of a goody-goody to be meeting someone here? Perhaps I am. How about you? Don't tell me you heard the scream from your room and ran all the way down here. You're no superhero. You even had to take your Invisibility Cloak with you. Who is it, James?"

       "How do you know I'm not going to the kitchen to steal food?"

       Lily arched her eyebrows. "How stupid do you think I am, Potter? The kitchen is all the way down there. No, you're here to meet someone." //pause// "Presumably in the trophy room?" she asked sweetly.

       James stared speechless at her. Then, at the same time, they said, "You sent that note!"

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Appropriate chapter name, huh? Oh, and help me think of a story title if you don't like Invisible Barriers. Tell me in your reviews. ::cough cough, pointed look:: You will review, won't you? 

Yes you will. I know you will. Anyways, it doesn't hurt to say **_PLEEEAAASSSEEEE???_**

Oh, and what do you think of my pen name?

**Chapters 4, 5, and 6 coming up at the same time after I type them up, which could be a couple of days. You will stick around, won't you? Otherwise, tell me that the story is boring or whatever and I'll stop.** 

Thanks!! --- The Mad Monkey with the Magnifying Glass 


	4. Roses

**All Hail the Person Who Owns Most of These Characters!:** J.K. Rowling. Not me. Got it?

Chapter 4: Roses 

       James and Lily just stared at each other. Finally James broke the uneasy tension and said, "Apparently not. Let me see the note."

       She dove beneath the fold of her robes, brought up a wrinkled piece of parchment, and handed it wordlessly to James.

       He held the two notes up to the dim light and muttered something Lily couldn't hear. Both pieces of parchment shown with a faint green light.

       James handed the 'heart-less' note back to Lily and said matter-of-factly, "Sent by the same person. Probably a girl, what with all the perfect little hearts on mine." He grinned dryly and added, "No true boy can make such perfect hearts. Hey, Evans, let's see you draw a heart. Show me you're a girl--- unless you want to show me another way---" James smiled suggestively.

       "Shove it, Potter," Lily muttered half-heartedly. She felt her heartbeat quicken as he once again flashed that sexy grin, and was sure he felt it too when he put his arms around her waist, drew her close, and nuzzled her gleaming red hair.

       His eyes dilated and his breathing quickened when he inhaled the faint scent of roses.

       Lily felt the change and glanced up in alarm. She didn't want an affair with James Potter--- he had a reputation of strewing broken hearts everywhere he went, and she didn't want her fragile heart to shatter any more than it already did after her--- run-in --- with Jonathan Huggleby. Plus, she knew he really didn't like her. No boy ever did, and James (of all people!) definitely wouldn't be the first.

       There was no way she would let herself become involved with James Potter--- much as she'd like to.

       Gently she disentangled herself from James's loose grasp. In his eyes she read faint signs of hurt and disappointment. _Probably because no girl has ever said 'no'_ she thought dryly. _Well, I'm the first._

       "Goodnight, James," Lily said quietly as she left the room.

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Review and keep reading!


	5. Heartbreaking and Mandrakes

**For Goodness Sakes:** How much longer do I have to put this on? I own nothing in this story but Ariel, Jonathan, and a couple of spells. ::mutters "You'd think everyone's figured it out by now---"::

Chapter 5: Heartbreaking and Mandrakes 

       The next morning, Lily rubbed her eyes sleepily and yawned. Her food was left untouched on her plate. Ariel cast several worried glances her way, but chose not to say anything. They both knew very well why she was sleepy.

       Last night, Lily had gone to bed at 1 o'clock in the morning. However, being in bed didn't mean she had gotten any sleep at all--- James's face with the hurt eyes just kept appearing again and again in her mind. Absurdly, she felt guilty; the only thing keeping the full force of guilt at bay was her telling herself that James didn't really like her, that it was the silly glow of moonlight, that it was because they were alone together, and that she was a girl.

       Even that couldn't keep it all down, though; she felt a wave of new guilt surge up when she glanced at James. _He seemed--- different_, she mused. He was only picking at his food, when he normally ate like a pig. He had only said two words to the other Marauders that morning, when he was normally cheerful and chatty. He wasn't even responding to the other girls' flirting (this was serious), when he normally bloomed like a flower in the sun. He looked--- _heartbroken. That's it._

       Suddenly it dawned upon her what she had just said in her head. _Heartbroken._ Was she the cause?

       _Don't be silly, Lily._ Lily told herself sternly. _James Potter heartbroken over you?_

       The breeze that ruffled her hair signified the arrival of the morning owls. Lily just continued to pick at her food--- she never got anything anyways. Her Muggle parents did love her, if you could call the friendly affection 'love', but they almost outright refused to deal with the magic world (except when it was necessary, such as sending her a Christmas gift). She sighed--- she supposed that she should be grateful that they had allowed her to attend Hogwarts in the first place instead of that preppy school they had had in mind.

       That was why Lily practically jumped out of her seat when a large, dignified, tawny owl dropped a bouquet of roses in her lap.

       Charmed yet mystified, Lily searched for a card that would reveal the sender. All she found was a tag which said "To Lily; With love, J."

       'J.'? There was Jonathan, and--- _James_.

       Jonathan was chatting with his friends on the other end of the table in that easy, laidback manner of his that had drawn her to him in the first place. James was, well, picking silently at his food, acting strangely, and refusing to meet her gaze.

       _Was it you, James?_ Lily queried silently. _Was it you?_

~*~*~

       "Good morning, Prongs!" said a disgustingly cheerful Remus as he slid into his usual chair.

       "How was last night?" asked a wickedly grinning Sirius.

       "Huh?" That was Peter Pettigrew, the "other" member of the Marauders. He was a fat little boy who worshiped the Marauders but was never quite in their league talent-wise. Remus, Sirius, and James included him in their group more out of pity than anything else. "Did I miss something, guys?" he asked dumbly.

       "Oh, nothing, Wormtail," Sirius said airily. "Last night Prongs here just went to romance a---"

       "---toad into a prince," interrupted James without missing a beat.

       "You mean princess, right, Prongs?" queried Remus wickedly, "because I'd be really worried if you were gay." He chuckled and ducked James's good-natured, playful punch.

       "Did it work?" Peter's wide-eyed curiosity (or lack of intelligence, rather) was too much for Sirius and Remus. They began to crack up, laughing uncontrollably.

       "No, Wormtail, dear friend," answered James somberly, as if Peter's question was the most natural thing in the world. "If it did work, I wouldn't be sitting here right now."

       "You mean you'd leave us for a measly little princess? How could you, James? We're the Marauders! How could you?" Pettigrew broke off into tearful sobs. Remus and Sirius only found this spectacle funny rather than pitiful and began to laugh even harder.

       James sighed exasperatedly as he watched Peter tearfully ask Remus and Sirius what they were laughing about, which made them laugh even harder (if it was humanly possible, that is). It would be a very long day.

~*~*~

       As luck would have it, in Herbology Professor Dingbattum assigned James and Lily to the same table to transport baby Mandrakes. With their earmuffs on they couldn't hear each other, but they laughed anyway when a particularly feisty Mandrake spit dirt all over James's face and kicked him hard on the hand. With both his hands full trying to keep the Mandrake from causing any more mischief, James couldn't wipe the globs of dirt that were coming perilously close to his eyes and mouth off his face.

       Tentatively, Lily wiped his face for him. What should have been a simple, mindless task soon became more complicated with the involvement of trembling hands, dilating eyes, and quickening heartbeats. Lily blushed as red as a tomato when her hand brushed against his lips as she was trying to intercept a small glob of dirt as it slid down the bridge of his nose.

       None of Lily's small telltale signs escaped James's attention at all. When they were packing up and getting ready for double Potions with the Slytherins, Lily cautiously avoiding his eyes, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Astronomy Tower at midnight". Lily just nodded wordlessly, because she was incapable of saying anything sensible at that moment due to the quick thudding of her heart in her chest. 

       Out of the corner of her eyes she could have sworn she saw Sirius give her a thumbs-up. Lily glared at him, and her only response was his famous lop-sided grin.

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Yay! This chapter was fun to write. The next chapter's cool too--- you'll scream at me (or at least I hope you will). I know I screamed at myself to keep writing when I had to stop there before my math teacher caught me.

Anyways--- review please. I love comments: praise, constructive criticism, or even flames. Tell me if you'd rather get eaten by a hippogriff than keep reading and I'll stop. Otherwise, well, I'll keep going. I love writing James/Lily fics--- THEY RULE!!!! (as you all have now figured out, hopefully).

---The Mad Monkey with the Magnifying Glass        


	6. The Astronomy Tower

**I'm Getting Immensely Sick of Writing This:** I DON'T OWN ANYONE EXCEPT ARIEL AND JONATHAN AND SOME SPELLS! 

Chapter 6: The Astronomy Tower 

       Only that night when she was about to leave the dormitory did Lily give a thought to the place James had told her to meet him: the Astronomy Tower--- the widely favored make-out spot for couples. And also the place where she almost got--- (A/N: Oooh, what happened to Lily? You'll find out later. ::evil grin::) _Was it a coincidence,_ she mused, _or was it deliberate?_

       As Lily was about to climb out the portrait hole, Ariel suddenly appeared at her elbow, grinning mischievously. "Looks like you got yourself a boyfriend, Evans. At least he's so much hotter than that prick Jonathan," Ariel lowered her voice dramatically, "but don't tell Siri I said that."

       "Don't tell me what, honey?" Sirius had sneaked up behind them while they were conversing, and now stood there with an affronted look on his face.

       "Oh, nothing, Siri," Ariel answered airily. "It's girls' talk. Go and have fun, Lily." She waved cheekily and turned to Sirius, mischief and perhaps something else dancing in her eyes. "Hey, honey, let's go have some fun of our own. C'mon."

       Lily turned back towards the couple. "Go ahead, guys, but don't let me catch you following me again, Ariel." She brandished her wand threateningly at them.

       "Wait a sec. _Again?_ Does this mean Goody-Goody Lily has actually snuck out before? Oh my god," Sirius laid a hand over his heart and pretended to faint. "It's something for the history books."

       "You know who she was sneaking out to meet, Siri? It was---"

       Lily pointed her wand at the tip of Ariel's nose. "Another word, girlfriend, and I tell lover-boy here what you said before. Best you leave me alone and go make-out elsewhere. Other than the Astronomy Tower, got it?"

       Ariel was about to retort when the Fat Lady called out, "Are we done gossiping yet? This old lady here needs her beauty sleep."

       All three muttered "Yes'm" (causing the Fat Lady to both scowl and preen) and piled out the door.

~*~*~

       As Lily padded silently down the corridor to the Astronomy Tower, her mind began to wander. What would this lead up to tonight? Would she just become another one of James's conquests, a figment of his past? _No,_ she told herself firmly, _I won't let anyone break my heart again. I'll stop him first._ But she seriously doubted she could stop James--- when it came to him and his sexy grins, she was as vulnerable as could be.

       The only way, she decided, was to turn back now. As much regret and disappointment as she felt now, it would be nothing compared to what she would feel if she let James break her heart. Sighing, Lily pivoted and started to walk back to Gryffindor Tower.

       A hand clamped over her mouth and stifled the scream forming in her throat. Another arm crawled over her arms and around her waist, effectively destroying any possibilities of an elbow in the gut or a [painful but deserving] chop to the groin.

       Lily started to panic.

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::evil cackle:: Don't you love the ending? I certainly do. I was able to type this up fairly quickly instead of the 'couple of days' I said before. However, it might be a couple of days before Chapter 7 comes up. 

**_Review---_** the more people review, the faster Chapter 7 gets uploaded. Hey, I'm an author, I love to preen when I get reviews. I want my 'time in the sun'. Is that a crime or something?

And shame on those of you who haven't reviewed or plan not to--- you know who you are. And so do I.

The Mad Monkey with the Magnifying Glass knows everything. Hehehehehe.


	7. Empty Classrooms

**I Swear, I am Getting Sick of This!:** I make no profit from this story. J.K. Rowling owns everything except Ariel, Jonathan, the plot, and some spells. 

I love you all (those of you who have reviewed)--- Quack Quack 88, quitesirius (cute penname lol), mariel, Bella, .up.to.no.good., JunJun, and Angel Solo, and all the bunch of people who didn't sign their name. Chapters coming up, and please keep reviewing. You all make me cry ::tears of happiness::, thanx so much. It's my first hp fanfic whatsoever, so I want to know what you think. 

Ok, ok, I'm shutting up. Read!

**Sry to disappoint you, .up.to.no.good., but this isn't the classic snogging session. Snogging is fun to write (lol), but hey, it just didn't fit in the plot.** 

**Chapter 7:** **Empty Classrooms**

       Lily was starting to panic when a familiar voice whispered seductively in her ear, "Trying to stand me up, Lily honey?"

~*~*~

       "What do you think you're doing, scaring the hell out of me in the middle of the night?" Lily whispered angrily.

       James's voice hardened and his eyes became as cold as an Alaskan night. "And what the hell do you think you're doing, backing out on me?"

       "How did you--- No, wait." Her eyes narrowed and she spun around to face him. "Don't tell me you've taken to following me around under that damned Invisibility Cloak of yours."

       "Damned right I have!" James was almost shouting by now. He took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and continued. "Otherwise I'd have no idea you were being chicken and backing out on me, and I'd be standing there alone the entire night waiting for you!"

       Lily felt a stab of guilt, but fought to keep it out of her voice and off her face. "I am not chicken, damn you!"

       "Then why were you going to back out on me?"

       "Because I---" Lily's voice faltered. She turned her head away and focused on the floor behind him.

       "Because what?" He gathered her into his arms again, and tipped her chin up gently so he could look into her eyes. Lily tried to turn her head away, but he was too quick for her. James was startled quite a bit when he found her eyes bright with unshed tears.

       His voice softened and roughened with raw emotion--- mainly guilt, but something else too. "Because what, Lily?"

       She remained silent. A tear slid out of the corner of her eye, and he brushed it away gently with his thumb.

       "Oh, hell," he muttered under his breath. He stooped down and scooped Lily up into his arms. She uttered a soft, startled sound, but made no move to fight him. If anything, she relaxed against him more and closed her eyes.

       He carried her to the nearest empty classroom, kicked open the door, and sat down on a comfy chair with Lily still cradled in his arms.

       Tears were streaming silently down Lily's face, yet she uttered nary a sound. That sight alone tugged at James's gut more than anything else he had ever seen. "Shhhh…" he whispered gently. "Don't cry. I'm sorry for whatever I did, Lily honey. Forgive me?"

       She nodded silently and buried her face in his cloak. He slowly rubbed her back and stroked her face, whispering apologies and anything else that came to mind.

       James lowered his head slightly, hesitated, then planted a soft kiss on Lily's forehead. A moment later he was asleep, Lily still cradled in his arms.

       Lily cracked her eyes open, saw that James was asleep, and whispered softly (perhaps more to herself than to him), _You wouldn't break my heart too, would you James?_

       Then she too fell asleep, still cradled in his arms.  

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That was my first attempt at sweet-and-sappy-ness. Tell me what you think, so in the next bunch of chapters I can either take out or leave all the little sweet parts.

I didn't fell like putting in snogging, because then it would be somewhat like the other J/L stories, and it's really not. It's--- different. You'll see what I mean in the next chapter or two, because things, well, change. Please **_review_**.

!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$

Also, a little tribute to my fellow author and freak--- bunny chan!!! Thanx for helping me figure out this mess, and for telling me how to use bold and italics. I'm celebrating!! (Look below--- duh. It's bold and in italics, right?)

**_JAMES AND LILY FICS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_**


	8. An Early Rising

That's it. READ THE TOP OF THE LAST CHAPTER FOR THE @#$%&@# DISCLAIMER!!!

**NOTE: **That was the disclaimer. You can't sue me, even if you'd like to.

Hehe. This is where the fun starts, where this little story of mine separates itself from all the other J/L/MWPP stories.

Chapter 8: An Early Rising 

        "James. Potter. Prongs. _Wake up!_" an urgent voice hissed. 

        James just muttered something inaudible and went back to sleep.

        "Yo, lover-boy, wake up--- or you'll never see darling Lily again," another voice drawled.

        James's eyes snapped open instantly. He found Sirius and Ariel standing in front of him, hands fisted on their hips and odd expressions on their faces. "That's not funny," he said shortly. "Where's Lily?"

       Ariel chuckled. "Told ya that would work, Siri." When Sirius's eyes narrowed, she said a little too sweetly, "Well, Jamsie-boy woke up, didn't he? He didn't even stir when you tried."

       However, when she turned to James, her voice lost its sweetness and gained a curt tone not unalike the tone Professor Marcus used while talking to a disobedient student. "Ten minutes ago she was crying her eyes out in the Gryffindor common room."

       James made as if to get up, and Ariel shoved him back down.

       "What did you do to her last night?"

       "Nothing."

       "_Don't give me any of that bullshit!_" Ariel was practically screaming by now. "_What the hell did you do to her last night?_"

       With an effort James managed to stay calm. "Absolutely nothing. Now will you folks excuse me." With that, he shoved past them and headed for the door.

       When he had one foot out, he turned back and said rather grimly, "Oh, and Sirius, I've proved Lily isn't a goody-goody all the time. She swore at me last night." Satisfied at having the last word, as strange and off-topic as it was, he stalked off to the common room, leaving two utterly bewildered people staring at each other in the empty classroom.

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Weird, huh? I know, it probably doesn't make much sense now but it will (or at least should) later. 

Please review, then keep reading. 


	9. Misunderstandings

**If you've gotten this far, you know what goes up here. If you don't--- well, go see a doctor or somebody. _I DUNNO TO DO WITH YOU IF YOU CAN'T EVEN FIGURE IT OUT!! _**(::mutters::)

I won't say anything. Read!

Chapter 9: Misunderstandings 

       True to her word, James found Lily sobbing silently in the common room. The sight was not unlike that of last night, and he felt that familiar tugging at his gut.

       "Lily honey?" he called softly, "what's wrong?"

       Lily leaped to her feet, anguish and sorrow forgotten for pure rage. "Don't call me that!" she practically shrieked.

       James's eyes narrowed. "Lily honey, baby, love, darling, _buttercup_. What's wrong?"

       Her anger façade crumbled and she sank down on the chair sobbing. "James, I trusted you! How could you? I thought you were different--- different from--- from Jonathan!"

       "What did Jonathan do? Rather, what did I do?"

       "Stop lying! Stop pretending that you're innocent! Just stop it! Don't speak to me again!" With that, Lily jumped up and ran sobbing to her room, leaving a bewildered James staring after her.

~*~*~

       That evening, James cornered Ariel and Sirius and beckoned them up to the dormitory. When they got there, James didn't bother mincing words. He just looked them both in the eyes and asked, "What did Jonathan Huggleby do to Lily?"

       Ariel jumped as if she'd been shot. It wasn't what she had expected to hear at all. However, when she regained her composure, she chose not to mince words either and said straightforwardly, "They had been going out for a week. To her, he was Prince Charming--- all sweetness and gifts. Lily, the young naïve girl she was, was heads over heels in love with him. It was always 'Jonathan this, Jonathan that'. One night---I think it was a Saturday--- they had a date in the Astronomy Tower. He drugged her, ripped her clothes, and was about to rape her if I hadn't been there, umm…, with Sirius." Both she and Sirius blushed faintly.  

_       Probably making out_, James thought dryly. This brought a grin to his face, but he quickly wiped it off.

       "Why didn't you ever tell me about this, Padfoot?"

       "I don't think it was that important. You hardly knew Lily and Jonathan. You _still_ hardly know Jonathan."

       Suddenly it clicked it Lily's head. "Lily compared you to him, didn't she? I was right after all! You bastard!" she spat. With that, Ariel turned and stalked off.

       Both James and Sirius stared after her. Finally, James broke the silence by saying, "What's going on, Padfoot? I am totally lost."

       Sirius stared dubiously at James, as if deciding whether he was telling the truth or not. Finally, he nodded and said, "This morning, Ariel and I were, well, making out in the common room. Lily comes in crying, and her clothes are practically shredded to pieces. That was exactly how she looked after Jonathan had tried to rape her; I'll never forget that sight as long as I live." He sighed and continued. "We all thought you'd raped her, James. The signs were there--- ripped clothes, mussed hair, etc. If I didn't know, deep down inside and all that you wouldn't do such a despicable thing, I would have gone straight down and beat the crap out of you. Ariel was so mad that if she had anything that could be used as a weapon, she would have killed you right then and there. Good thing I happened to have certain---persuasive powers--- that come with being her boyfriend, or Prongs, you'd be dead meat by now."

       James stared incredulously at Sirius. "She thinks I raped her?"

       Sirius just nodded gravely.

       "Good God." He lowered his head into his hands. "Lily thinks I raped her?" James raised his head a fraction of an inch to look at Sirius, who had just sat down on the bed beside him. "Do _you_ think I raped her, Padfoot? Truly?"

       Sirius hesitated, then answered. "No, Prongs, I don't. But anyone else who can add two and two together does."

       Sirius couldn't stand seeing his friend looking so forlorn and miserable. "Tell me everything that happened, James. Even all the making out you did," he ordered, grinning when James stared daggers at him, "so we can figure out exactly what happened."

       That's exactly what James did--- he related everything starting from his following Lily to her deciding to turn back to his scooping her up in his arms to the soft kiss he had placed on her forehead. Sirius smirked knowingly at that, but quickly became somber again. 

       "You didn't touch her clothes at all?"

       "No. The last thing I did before I fell asleep was kiss her."

       Sirius stared at him. "If you didn't do it, someone else did while you were asleep. Considering the fact that you sleep like the dead, it wouldn't be too hard." His fake attempt at humor failed as he looked at his friend.

       They both voiced at the same time, "Who?"

~*~*~

       When Sirius and James left the dormitory for dinner, James whispered under his breath, "I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this. Even Moony, as much as I'd like to, because in his state of infatuation with Evans he would probably beat the shit out of me."

       "Don't tell me what, Prongs?" There stood Remus, looking furious enough to spit fire.

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That was probably the suckiest cliffhanger, if it even counts as a cliffhanger. ::mutters:: I know, I know, don't rub it in. Whether I was planning to stop here or not, I have to because I have an English exam tomorrow and it's almost midnight already.

Please review--- it's my first story and I really want to know what people think of my writing style and plot and etc. I guess 26 reviews is good and all, but…

::sighs wistfully:: I really do want reviews. I suppose some of you think it sux--- there's a thing called constructive criticism you know.

Anyways… **REVIEW!!!!!!!**  


	10. Things that don't make sense and Pre-bal...

**It feels so empty up here… :-)**

**_This_** is for all of you who are complaining about my short chapters. ::glares::  I hope you enjoy this **_monstrously_** long chapter. However, I will try to make them longer. This is my chapters 10, 11, and 12 combined, so that's why it's so long. Happy now? Read. J

Chapter 10: Things that don't make sense and Pre-ball Madness 

       Remus stalked angrily over to James and grabbed the lapels of his robe. "All the years I've known you, James," he whispered, "never did I believe you were stupid, cruel, or heartless. If someone had told me yesterday that you would do something like this, I never would have believed it. Now I know better."

       James flinched as if he'd been struck. The words themselves and the expression on Remus's face hurt more than any weapon Remus could use against him.

       Sirius shifted uneasily behind James. "Moony, ol' boy, calm down. You haven't even heard Prongs's side of the tale."

       "Do I need to?" Remus whirled angrily around to face Sirius. "What more do I need to know? I've just been up to see Lily, and the damning evidence was right there in front of my eyes!!"

       _How did Remus find out?_ both James and Sirius wondered silently.

       "Where is Lily?" asked James innocently. "I haven't seen her all day."

       "She's in the hosp---" Realizing what he had just said, Remus cursed at himself.. "You wouldn't dare show your face, would you, Potter? After all---" He found himself talking to the stairs. James had run off the moment he had stupidly said "hosp", and Sirius had followed him.

       Disgusted, both with himself and the people he used to consider best friends, Remus stalked down to the Great Hall for dinner.

~*~*~

       James ran into the hospital wing, closely followed by Sirius. He quickly scanned the room, looking for Lily.

       "Excuse me. You're not allowed in here," said Madam Jolliver, the old, grandmotherly school nurse, not even glancing up to see who the visitors were.

       James winked at Sirius and said in his most cajoling voice, "Please, Madam Jolliver, It's James and Sirius. We're here to visit Lily Evans. She's our friend, Madam. Pretty please?" They both held their breath and prayed Lily hadn't told the nurse anything, or they'd definitely be thrown out by their ears,… or worse.

       Madam Jolliver had always had a soft spot for the two troublemakers, and they knew it— they would use it to their advantage once in a while.

       "Oh, fine. Follow me, boys. Mind you, don't stay too long now." She winked at them (a very peculiar thing for a lady as old as Madam Jolliver), and beckoned them over to the well-stocked gift shop. "You might try one of these as a get-well gift." She pointed to a recent delivery of adorable teddy bears which sang.

       "More like a peace offering," muttered James under his breath as he sighed and reached for the small wallet hidden beneath his cloak. 

~*~*~

       James left the gift shop carrying a bouqet of blood-red roses, a box of Muggle chocolates he knew Lily loved, and a small singing teddy bear. As he was walking down the corridor to Lily's room, he remarked offhandedly to Sirius, "She didn't say anything to Madam Jolliver. Is that a good omen?"

       Sirius shrugged, and was saved from answering because they had reached Lily's room. Madam Jolliver said she had asked to be moved to a solitary room, hence this room by the gift shop.

       Sirius looked at James and James looked at Sirius. By silent mutual agreement, James took a deep breath and opened the door.

~*~*~

       Lily was asleep on her bed when they walked in; James didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. He quickly scanned the room and saw that her bedside was cluttered with bouquets, chocolate, cards, and stuffed animals--- most of them Remus's. 

_       Was Remus really this infatuated with Lily?_ mused James.

       A small whimper from Lily's bed had James running over instantly. However, she appeared to still be sound asleep, so James eased back into the chair Sirius had Transfigured for him. Suddenly, Lily began to mumble in her sleep:

                                        "No… can't risk it… refuse to have my heart broken again… no… please… doesn't really 

                              like me… can't go too far… how?… like him too much… trusted him… no… help…

                                        "Jonathan, stop!… help me… stop it!… please… it hurts… stop!… I thought you loved me…

                              help, anyone… trusted you… why?… stop it…

                                        "James, why… your roses?… trusted you… like you too much… can't… you don't really 

                              like me… like you… too much… love…"

       Finally Lily quieted down. James felt unshed tears begin to form in his eyes--- Lily's anguished cries and mumbled, half-audible words had tore at his heart as nothing ever had before.

       "James?" That one word communicated everything between them. Sirius firmly gripped his elbow and steered him gently out the room.

~*~*~

       That night, James lay in bed thinking about Lily's mumblings. He knew it was foolish to lose sleep over them (because things said while lost in the dreary world of unconsciousness weren't necessarily true), but James just couldn't help it.

       'Can't risk it'? 'Refuse to have her heart broken again'? 'Doesn't really like me'? 'Like him too much'? 'Trusted him'? 'Love'?… James then drifted off to sleep, still lost in thought over several broken phrases that didn't make sense…

~*~*~

       The next time he saw Lily was three days later, in Transfiguration. He fidgeted uncomfortably throughout the class (earning a disapproving look from Professor Marcus), wishing class would end.

       Finally it did. James walked quickly after her as she strode briskly to her next class.

       "Lily?"

       She turned around to face him, her face as blank and emotionless as a chalkboard. She just stood and waited, not uttering a word.

       "I… ummm…"

       "Thank you for the gifts, James. If you'll please excuse me…"

       With that, she walked off.

       James felt as if he'd taken a hard blow to the stomach. He wished she had at least yelled at him, or even slapped him, or showed some sort of emotion, but no, both her face and voice were completely expressionless.

       Head bowed to hide his hurt and grief, James walked quickly off to class.

       _You really screwed up big-time, Potter._

~*~*~

       "Poor Prongs," remarked Sirius sadly to Ariel. "He's really hurt."

       Ariel said nothing, as she thought it was best only to listen at the moment.

       Sirius hesitated, then continued. "He didn't touch Lily, you know, much less rape her. He has too much honor for that."

       Ariel looked Sirius straight in the eyes and said quietly, "I know someone else raped her. I'm not that stupid. I just don't know who, how, or why."

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A/N: That's the end of _my_ Chapter 10. I know, I know, it was weird. I still think I should separate my chapters, but… Well, enjoy.

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       The Yule Ball was the talk of the school in December, It always took place on December 31, and crossed over to the new year. Normally James loved this time of year, because girls would be all over him asking him to go with them and he would have the delightful liberty to choose who he pleased. However, this year James was not in a particularly festive mood, due to one red-haired girl.

       "Hey, Prongs. See someone you fancy going to the ball with yet?"

       "Nah. I've already refused more than 10 girls outright. You going with Ariel?"

       Sirius cocked his head to the side and looked at James quizzically. "You all right, Prongs? That's the dumbest question you've asked in the 5 or so years I've known you. Of course I'm going with my honey. Talking about Ariel--- yesterday she told me that one red-haired witch she knew was absolutely, miserably lonely. She---"

       James sighed. "As much as I'd like to--- or as much as _she'd_ like to--- we'd never be able to go together. She would refuse me if I ever ask, no matter whether she really wants to go or not. You know what, Padfoot? I think I'll go stag this year for a change."

       Sirius arched his eyebrows. "James Potter, _the_ James Potter, second most sexiest boy in the school, is going to go to the Yule Ball by himself because one pretty red-haired witch won't go with him? Oh my god." He lay a hand dramatically to his heart and pretended to faint.

       James snickered. "And if I'm the _second_ most sexiest in the school, who's the first?"

       "Me, of course." Sirius glanced quickly around the room, then lowered his voice to a loud, stage whisper. "And this sexy ol' boy is still up for grabs. But don't tell my honey I said that or she'll tan my hide."

       "Lover-boy, your hide is mere seconds away from being tanned." Ariel was leaning against the doorframe, a mock-ferocious look painted on her face.

       James laughed, ran out the door, and mouthed "Have fun!" cheekily over Ariel's shoulder as Sirius ducked a well-aimed pillow flying towards his head.

~*~*~

       Lily lay on her head and stared dejectedly at the ceiling. She still couldn't stop thinking about the hurt in James's eyes when she had [somewhat reluctantly] accepted Severus Snape's proposal to go to the Yule Ball together. She still hadn't forgotten about that--- run-in--- with Snape and Ariel, but Sirius and Ariel had been bugging her the entire week to make-up with James and go to the ball with him, and consequently she felt that that tedious moment before Potions begun was a test of how 'strong' she was, of whether she had learned her lesson about foolishly falling in love with someone who would soon discard you from Jonathan and James. So against her will she had said yes, and was now forced by her own word to go to the Yule Ball with a hook-nosed, greasy-haired Slytherin. If she had said no, it would mean she was weak, that she still couldn't sever her ties with James. 

       One reason she refused to go to the ball with James was that Lily couldn't stand to see the triumph in James's eyes if she agreed to go to the ball with him--- she would just be another conquest of his, another girl destined for a broken heart.

       Why? Why was she falling helplessly and uncontrollably in love with James Potter when the evidence was there that he had raped her?

       _Because_, a tiny voice said in her head, _you know he's innocent._

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A/N: Now on to Chapter 12. ::trumpets blowing in the background:: Tada!

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       The Yule Ball was set for that night, and the entire school was set ablaze with gossip about who was going with who (and who was going alone).

       Lily was utterly miserable. Sirius and Ariel, mainly Ariel though, had scolded her and lectured her like an ignorant, errant child about following her heart first, about forgetting the past, about learning to love. (_They don't understand_, she thought, _they just don't understand._) Severus was gloating that he had beaten Potter. As for James--- well, Lily couldn't meet his gaze. She was afraid to see the hurt in his eyes for fear that she would just break down; she was afraid that she would reveal too much of herself and her feelings for him to see. 

       It was painful, very, utterly painful, to pretend she didn't care about James. It would soon get to a point when she would be unable to hide her feelings from him any longer, thus making a total fool of herself, but she preferred not to think of that at all until it was inevitable. She would tackle the problem then. But for now---

       Lily sighed. Word had it that James had refused more than 30 proposals and was going to the Yule Ball alone, for the first time in his entire life. From what she saw, there were still plenty of girls willing, ready, and eager to drop their date for him if he so much as looked their way.

       Ariel's renowned gift with the language and how to use it had been demonstrated on Lily countless times over the past few days, piling up the guilt and regret. "James is miserable and heartbroken, Lily. He really does like you--- enough to make him refuse more than 30 girls, including that snotty, I'm-so-hot 6th year Brittney (one of the prettiest, most popular girls in Hogwarts). He originally told Siri and me that if he couldn't go with you, he wouldn't go at all. At least we got him to change his mind and go, even if it is by himself. But anyways--- haven't you seen him moping? Haven't you seen that hurt radiating in his eyes?…"

       Of course Lily had. Yet she still held firm and refused to ask James to go with her. She knew he would say yes immediately (it was extremely obvious to anyone adequately informed about the Potter-Evans situation), but it would also mean that she was just one in the ranks of the girls who tripped over their own feet to go out with him and damned whatever happened because of it.

       _No_, Lily said to herself firmly, _as much as I want to go out with James_ (she sighed wistfully at this)_, he will have to make the first move. And I know he won't because he thinks I'll reject him and he's afraid of rejection. So there goes my dream, my Christmas wish. Poof._

       Lily sighed again and got up to change for the Yule Ball.

~*~*~

       James was just as miserable, or possibly even _more_ miserable, as Lily. All the Marauders were gathered in their dormitory to change, but in reality it was more of a pre-ball chat to giggle and snicker over the school gossip.

       If he hadn't been in such an in-festive mood, James would have found this situation extremely funny. Peter was fretting about his having to go to the ball with Petunia Parkinson, who just happened to be head and shoulders taller than he was. Sirius was teasing Remus mercilessly about his failed attempt to get Lily to go to the ball with him rather than Snape, and his having to ask Narcissa Summersea, a Ravenclaw who had hesitated for several uneasy minutes before saying 'yes' at the last minute. Meanwhile, both Peter and Remus were making fun of Remus and his "honey".

       Remus had not apologized to James at all, and James had decided not to extend the offer of friendship either. He was still extremely miffed and hurt that Remus would believe he was capable of something as low as raping Lily. They were coolly civil to each other, not unlike him and Lily (James really couldn't say which situation bothered him more), solely for Sirius's and Peter's sake. They considered themselves acquaintances and classmates, nothing more and nothing less.

       "James? Prongs? You okay?" Belatedly James realized that Sirius had asked him a question.

       "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just--- thinking ---"

       "About a certain red-haired---"

       "--- about the Yule Ball ---"

       "--- witch. Prongs, give it up. We all ---"

       "--- and how Snape is going to react to those ---"

       "--- know how you feel about Lily. It's easy enough---"

       "--- hairy spiders we're going to put in his ---"

       "--- to read her feelings to. Hey, Prongs ---"

       "--- cider. Why don't we slip one down his ---"

       "--- try to make up with her tonight so you can ---"

       "--- dress robes? It would be really funny if it ---"

       "--- give her a kiss on the lips to celebrate the ---"

       "--- crawled up his hair, or even better, down his ---"

       "--- coming of the new year."

       "--- robes into his boxers."

       They both grinned at each other when they finished at the same time.

       "That's bloody brilliant, Prongs! Let's get some more spiders from the dungeon!"

       "C'mon Padfoot. We gotta hurry, or your _honey_ is going to tan your hide for being late and mine for making you late."

       Grinning, they walked down the dormitory stairs together.

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Ooooffff. My fingers feel like they're going to fall off. There. Long chapter. Happy?

New chapter coming up soon. I know, not the most exciting ending, but its too late to write anymore.

REVIEW!


	11. The Yule Ball

**Little note to Quack Quack 88:** Congrats on your 5,000 word chapter! (lol) Chapter 10 was…hmmm… 2,752 words (including all the author notes, though; Microsoft Word counts everything). ::sigh:: That might be my longest chapter, because the rest of them have these little 'cliffhangers' I kinda like. I don't know if I want to melt them together, you see. No, don't glare at me (or anything like that)--- I'm just not a 'long-chapter' person. If they do in fact return to being 500 word chapters, well,…

And for the rest of you: I know you might say this is a cliché or whatever, but it [should] get better in the end. It's my first fic, okay? Now proceed.

Chapter 11: The Yule Ball 

       The teachers had gone through extraordinary measures to decorate the Great Hall--- glowing icicles lined the walls, little reindeers galloped on the turrets, and miniature fairies fluttered across the hall, occasionally sprinkling fairy dust over those beneath them.

       After devouring a delicious holiday feast, Dumbledore stood up and with a wave of his wand sent the tables zooming to line up against the walls, revealing a spectacularly large dance floor and a stage. The Weird Sisters then made their dramatic entrance (bungee-jumping from poles on the ceiling) to wildly enthusiastic applause, and thus the night's dancing began.

~*~*~

       James lounged miserably against the wall, absently sipping a glass of cider. He had turned down every single invitation to dance so far, and planned to for the rest of the evening.

       It wasn't difficult at all to spot the Marauders--- they were all wearing dress robes of pure black ("tall, dark, and handsome" was a phrase he had heard countless numbers of giggling and swooning girls use to describe the Marauders, with the sad exception of Pettigrew of course). Sirius and Ariel had checked on him (as if he were an errant toddler who needed to be clucked over by a mother and father) about a half-hour ago; now they were probably lost in the sea of dancers on the dance floor or making out outside under the ghostly light of the moon. Remus and Peter could be spotted whisking their partners around on the dance floor, varying expressions on their faces.

       James moved away from the wall to get another glass of cider. He was so deep in thought that he did not see the girl cross his path, and bumped into her, spilling the glass of cider she was carrying.

       "I'm terribly sorry," James mumbled, not even looking up, "Here, let me help you clean it up."

       It was then that James raised his gaze from where he had it centered from the floor.

       James felt as if he had taken a blow to the gut, involuntarily staggering back slightly.

       "_Lily???_"

~*~*~

       Lily Evans looked absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing robes of shimmery silver-white satin, and her curly, flaming-red hair had been straightened and hung loose to her waist. The single barrette she wore was magicked, giving the impression that silver butterflies were fluttering in circles and beaming radiant rays of moonlight around her head. The effect was simple, yet immensely stunning--- stunning enough to render James Potter speechless.

       "Li-li-ly," he managed to stammered, "you-you look gorgeous."

       Lily blushed, and was saved from answering when Severus Snape appeared behind her, smirking at James's awestruck expression.

       "She's also _my_ date, Potter. Fuck off."

       With that, he hustled Lily away with a [greasy] arm curled protectively around her waist, leaving James gazing after her, heart-broken and miserable.

~*~*~

       _It was an accident_, Lily told herself sternly, _I didn't mean to bump into James Potter._ But it was a lie, and she knew it--- she had yearned to see James, to see his face, just once that evening.

       Now she regretted it. Lily just couldn't erase that hurt look on his face and the heartbreak in his eyes from her mind. Each time that heart-wrenchingly sexy visage popped up, she felt her own heart begin to shatter, piece by piece. _It's your own fault_, she told herself, _you knew it wasn't wise to fall in love with James Potter, yet you did so anyway. Head-over-heels, never-to-see-daylight-again, too._

       Suddenly, belatedly, Lily realized that Snape was leading her outside, his hand firmly gripping her elbow and imprisoning her.

~*~*~

       James looked up morosely from the half-empty bottle of butterbeer he was consuming at an extremely alarming rate (he had moved on to stronger substances after Lily had ripped his heart to shreds and left him there) just in time to see Snape 'escort' Lily out the doors. She appeared to be in a trance, oblivious to what was going on.

       _This can't be good_, James said to himself, so he left the bottle on the table, got up, and followed them outside. 

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678 words! (not including the A/N this time!) Fine, everyone steam and rant and rave over it. If you want to yell at me, proceed and click the review button. If you aren't a long-chapter fanatic, thank you, and review anyway. lol

I am currently in the process of typing Chapter 12 up, which will probably be about three times as long as this.

** and this time, my fingers don't hurt!**


	12. The Truth is Revealed

**Yay!** Possibly the second longest chapter of this…saga. A very interesting one too, in my opinion, that is.

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: The Truth is Revealed 

       "Wait! Severus, where are you leading me?"

       Severus tightened his grip and quickened his pace. "Just follow me, Lily," he growled. "Don't make this difficult or you'll regret it."

       When he felt her stiffen, obviously not at ease at his response, he clenched his hold on her elbow to the point of pain.

       "Ouch! Snape, release me this instant!"

       When she made as if to go for her wand, he whirled on her. "You made me do this, Evans. Don't say I didn't warn you." Tiny ropes flew from his wand and bound her arms and legs together tightly, and a gag fastened her mouth shut. "I told you not to make this difficult. Now you have no choice but to follow me anyway. _Mobiliarbus_."

       Snape brought Lily to the border of the Forbidden Forest and threw her down on the ground by a rosebush. He banished her gag but left her arms and legs tied together.

       The first words that left Lily's mouth were, "Untie me at once, you filthy bastard!"

       Snape laughed, a harsh sound which made Lily wince involuntarily. "Not likely, my dear, especially when you speak to me like that."

       She snorted. "What do you expect me to do, Severus? Bow and kiss your feet like some dimwit house-elf?" Lily smiled sweetly then spat at his shoes. "There you go, _master_."

       Snape's eyes narrowed. "You'll pay for that, Lily dear." He stooped down by her, caressing her face and running his hands through her hair. He let his gaze linger insolently on her chest, then moved it slowly down the rest of her body. "And I'll most certainly have fun punishing you tonight."

       Lily, furious beyond belief, spat at him again, this time catching Snape full in the face.

       He slapped Lily flat across her cheek, snapping her head painfully to the side. "You bitch," he snarled, "you'll definitely pay for that."

       Severus then looked at her, just looked at her, his snake-eyes glinting maliciously. "I think I'll tell you right now what I'm going to do to you. I'll---" He suddenly stopped, his face abnormally thoughtful.

       Abruptly he said, "Evans, you love Potter, don't you?"

~*~*~

       Meanwhile, James was creeping up on his hands and feet to a bush about 20 feet away from where Lily and Snape were, a perfect place to "monitor the situation". Unfortunately, he was [at that moment] too far away to hear Snape's question. (A/N: I know, that's just too bad, isn't it? If he did, it would spoil all the fun so he doesn't hear a happy little thing until later.)

       Again and again he cursed himself for not bringing his Invisibility Cloak--- normally it stayed beneath his robes wherever he went, with the exception of classes, of course; it had gotten him out of more than one tight situation before. Tonight, he had deemed it unnecessary. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

       With all the stealth and quiet born of his love for mischief-making and the quick reaction and honed reflexes born of his Quidditch training, James ran past some bushes, hid behind a large tree as Snape shifted his position (_Thank God for large trees!_), creeped behind a boulder, and crawled into place behind the bush he had set his sights on before.

       _There_, he said to himself, _already in position. Weapon ready_ (he checked his wand), _cover plentiful_._ What more could this night bring?_

~*~*~

       Startled, Lily's eyes widened. _What is wrong with him? Is he trying to divert my attention while he does something blasphemous? Perhaps. _After the shock passed, she carefully rearranged her face into that famous "Let me go!/Wait 'till I get my hands on you" expression.

       Snape didn't blink an eyelid--- he just waited.

       Lily didn't say a word--- she just waited.

       And waited.

       And waited.

       And waited.

       Finally, Snape laughed. "Well, that's an answer enough for me. You sure, Lily? Even though he raped you?"

       They played the waiting game again.

~*~*~  
       "_You sure, Evans? Even though he raped you?_" James mused over that tiny piece of conversation he had been able to pick up before he cast his listening spell. Not that it had done any good so far--- all he heard was silence.

       Back to the conversation--- the key word there was 'raped', and the only two people that Snape could be talking about were Jonathan and himself. 

       He seriously doubted Snape meant Jonathan;  hardly anyone knew about what had gone on in the Astronomy Tower that fateful night, and Snape himself only knew Jonathan as a fellow Gryffindor (therefore a mortal enemy). However, the entire 5th year knew about what they deemed "The Potter-Evans Scandal".

       So Snape was talking about him. Absolutely bloody wonderful. That didn't help at all--- James had to find out what the "_You sure, Evans?_" part referred to, because otherwise Snape could have been talking about anything. Fat chance of that (finding out what the phrase meant), though; there were no rewind buttons or spells he knew of, and he didn't have a Time-Turner.

       Sighing exasperatedly, James continued to watch the [most interesting] saga unfold.

~*~*~

       Lily picked a branch on a large tree behind Snape, not far from James's hiding place, and rested her gaze there, unblinking. If she so much looked at Snape for another second, she would surely become nauseous. Not scared, not frightened out of her wits (as Snape hoped), but disgusted and nauseous.

       If she thought about what Snape was threatening, she would throw up. Thinking about Snape's hands (which were probably as filthy and greasy as the rest of him) all over her was absolutely unbearable. To push those thoughts out of her mind, Lily focused on happy thoughts--- her first sight of Hogwarts, the first time she met Ariel, the first time Professor Marcus awarded Gryffindor 20 points because Lily had managed to transform a match into a needle, the time she met James…

       _No_, Lily thought fiercely to herself, _not James. Anything but James._ The time she received her letter from Hogwarts, the time she had bought her first wand at Ollivander's, the time James had held her and kissed her on the forehead…

       _Stop it! Thinking about James isn't going to make the situation any better. Snape's hands will always be Snape's hands; you couldn't possibly imagine them to be anyone else's because they're so---ugghhh--- greasy. It's only going to make you cry._

       An oily voice broke thorugh her thoughts. "You believe Potter's innocent, don't you?"

       Lily continued to stare at the tree branch, now mentally savoring the food at the holiday feast. _Yum, the turkey tasted good._

~*~*~

       James waited, subconsciously holding his breath. This was the beginning and the end, the ultimate test, the deciding question and answer that would choose the path that he and Lily and their relationship would take. _Say yes_, he thought intensely, _Lily, say yes. I didn't rape you!_

       He waited with bated breath.

~*~*~

       The time she received a 175% on her first Charms end-of-the-year-exam, the time Gryffindor won the House Cup, the first time she rode on a broomstick,…

       _Yes, I believe James is innocent. I know James didn't rape me, but I wouldn't say a word to you, Snape. He wouldn't touch me if I said no, much less rape me while I was asleep or unconscious. He has honor, unlike you, you cowardly, filthy bastard._

       "So you do, don't you?"

~*~*~

       Lily hadn't answered Severus, not that James had expected her to of course (she hadn't said a word since James had been listening). Well, she hadn't contradicted him outright, so James supposed that was good. However, Lily's silence masked whatever thoughts could be running through her head. Who knew what she was thinking at the moment--- she could be thinking that he _had_ raped her but she just wouldn't say anything to Snape for all James knew.

       _Lily, do you really believe I raped you? Do you actually think I would stoop so low as to do something that heinous?_

       For some unknown reason, believing that the love of his life (A/N: hehe) thought he had raped her hurt much more than when Lily brushed him off. And _that_ had hurt something awful.

~*~*~

       Severus laughed derisively. "Well, well. You _do_ believe he's innocent, don't you?"

       The time she had received a genuine Muggle mood ring from Ariel for Christmas…

       "Yes you do. I can see it on your face."

       The time Ariel had given her a gold locket with a wizard-photo of the two of them in it for her birthday…

       "Lily, honey, I have something to tell you. It was---"

~*~*~

       _You loser! Lily's my honey, not yours!_ James seethed.

       However, most unfortunately, Snape's humongous glutinous maximus was blocking his view of Lily, so he couldn't see her reaction.

       Back to the fun stuff now.

~*~*~

       "--- me. That night it was I who tried to rape you, but I failed. However, tonight I won't."

       His grin faded and his face took on a frightening, malicious expression.

       For the first time, Lily was scared.

~*~*~

       James froze, eyes wide open. _Snape? It was Snape all along? Why didn't I think of that? Stupid, stupid, stupid! And he's going to rape her now? SHIT!_

       His first instinct was to jump out from behind the bush and protect Lily, but common sense and experience took over and changed his mind, so he shifted into a position where he could leap out and draw his wand at the spur of the moment whenever necessary.

       He then lay there waiting, waiting with the patience of a trained hunter stalking its prey, just waiting for whatever would happen next.

~*~*~

       Lily's eyes betrayed her horror as Snape started to touch her, to caress her. She wriggled and tried to lash out at him, but no avail. He stroke her face, ran his fingers through her hair, trailed them over her chest, and ran them down the inside of her thighs.

       _Was he really going to rape her?_ Lily wanted to reassure herself by answering no, but she knew inevitably that it was yes. No one would save her now.

       Suddenly, a quiet voice said, "Leave Lily alone and back up slowly, hands where I can see them."

       Lily craned her neck to try and see past Snape, but no avail.

       Without even looking away from Lily, Severus said, "And what if I don't, Potter?"

       _It was James? James was here--- to save her?_

       "Just do it."

       Snape stood up, eyes glinting with amusement and malice. "You know, Potter, I just might follow your little instructions for kicks. I'd like to have a little--- conversation--- with you."

       James's voice was calm, yet it radiated an aura of controlled fury, which in Lily's opinion was more frightening than when he was ranting and raving at the top of his voice. Who knew when he would explode--- if she was Snape, she would hightail it out of here immediately and hope James's mind wasn't set on mauling him (with great pleasure, no doubt). "For once, Snape, just shut up and do what I say. We can talk all you want later."

       Snape backed up. "Satisfied, Potter? Now, let's have a little man-to-man talk."

       James snorted. "'Man-to-man'? You're no man, Severus. You're a fucking bitch with no honor whatsoever."

       "I'll let that pass, Potter."

       "_Do I look like I really fucking care? No!!!_" James's voice rose with each word until he was shouting at the top of his voice (and it was a wonder why all of Hogwarts didn't come running out to see what was going on); it seemed that his control had finally snapped.

       For some reason, that thought comforted Lily--- it showed that James was human, not some guardian angel from Heaven sent to save her.

       Snape's voice, however, stayed calm, cool, and distant. "Yes you do care, Potter. You know, I knew deep down that you would come to save Lily darling here--- I had planned on it. If you hadn't followed us I would surely have been sorely disappointed. I've prepared for you, Potter."

       With that he snapped his fingers. Several figures cloaked in long black robes with hoods advanced slowly from the fringes of the forest towards James.

       _This can't be good_, James thought, a little bit (though he would never admit it to anyone) nervous. For comfort he slipped his hand inside his robe and wrapped it reassuringly around his wand.

       "Potter," Severus drawled, "meet the gang."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, what do you think? Hardly anyone reviewed last time ::sniffles and a couple of tears drip onto the table::. Pwitty please review?

Oh, and I'm planning on starting two new stories, both Lily and James fics of course. I'm in the process of typing one up and writing the other one. The one I'm typing will be set in their 7th year, but it's not a continuation of this one. I like it--- it's pretty much in the same style as this one, but it has absolutely nothing to do with rape. Our old friend Voldemort's coming back! Yay! The one I'm writing might make me cry--- it's set after they graduate from Hogwarts and it's for those people fighting in Afghanistan and their families. I'm not saying anything else because you're probably falling asleep now (if you're even reading this in the first place).

There's a little rectangular gray box at the bottom. You know what to do with it…

        


	13. More Revealing of Things Unknown

A bit short this time. Anyways--- Chapter 13: More Revealing of Things Unknown 

       The figures didn't stop walking until they were within 5 feet of James.

       "Well, comrades," drawled Snape sarcastically, "let's introduce ourselves to darlin' Jamesie here."

       The names flew by in a flurry of rough, growled voices as the figures flipped off their hoods and became humans again. James caught several--- Lucius Malfoy (a 7th year Slytherin whom he knew, barely), Igor Karkaroff, Rosier, Wilkes, Avery, Lestrange.

       "Why are you introducing yourselves?"

       Snape shrugged. "I thought you might like to know who the people who roughened you up a bit are. Are you going to run to Dumbledore later?" He sneered. "Go ahead, I dare you."

       His wand ready to draw at the spur of the moment, James felt his confidence begin to return. "No, I won't do that. I won't even turn in any names. I have too much honor for that, unlike you. If you were me, you'd probably run to Dumbledore crying and spill out all the names you could remember so we could get expelled. You're a damn coward and a chicken."

       Snape growled menacingly. "You're mine, Potter. _Tenerius!_"

       Thin, vine-like ropes shot out from the tip of his wand, only to wind around--- thin air.

        Momentarily confused, Snape let down his guard. That was all the opportunity he needed.

       A golden stag charged straight at Snape, head lowered.

~*~*~

       Snape suddenly found himself flying through the air, unable to regulate the speed or direction of his flight. Then he looked up and screamed like a little girl--- his destination was smack dab into the Whomping Willow.

~*~*~

       "Hey, honey, have you seen Jamesie-boy?"

       "No, honey, I haven't seen lover-boy."

       "_Lover-boy?_ Don't be so loose with that. _I'm_ your lover-boy, the one and only, right?"

       "Yes, Siri. I meant Lily's lover-boy."

       "Good."

~*~*~

       James unwillingly tore his gaze from the amusing sight of Severus Snape screaming like a girl as he flew through the air into the Whomping Willow to deal with the rest of the "gang". Apparently some didn't like Snape very much--- they were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their faces.

       _That took them out of the game_, James said to himself happily. However, some were furious. They advanced towards him, wands raised menacingly.

       James backed up slowly so that none of them were behind him--- he would rather not expose his backside to any of them when they looked mad enough to kill. Literally.

       He ducked quickly behind a tree, changed back to a human, and stepped out again, appearing as if he had been hiding there all along. However, some weren't fooled.

       "_Pyronimus!_" James leaped and rolled out of the way as the bush by his foot burst into flames.

       "_Infrostio!_" James ducked as the tree branch by his head became ice and shattered, shards of ice raining down on him.

       "_Crucio!_" This James could not avoid--- he curled up on the ground and shook violently as sharp, unbearable daggers of pain shot through his body. The last thing he heard was Lucius Malfoy's evil cackling.

~*~*~ 

       Lily watched helplessly as James rocked on the ground. If she could help alleviate his pain in any way, including shouldering it herself, she would; she felt she owed him at least that much. If it weren't for James, Snape would have raped her by now, and rape is definitely one of a girl's worst fears.

       Then, Lily's mind strayed to Snape. She wondered, rather amusedly, how he was doing--- from what she knew, the Whomping Willo didn't like being hit.

       Suddenly she remembered. _A golden stag_ had butted Snape into the Whomping Willow. James disappearing--- golden stag--- "Prongs"--- ??

       Was James--- _an_ _Animagus????_

~*~*~

       Finally the pain faded away, leaving James moaning and exhausted on the ground.

       He'd never felt so much pain before; the pain he'd felt last year when Slytherin had played dirty in the Quidditch finals and the beaters had sent one bludger at his face (breaking his nose and some teeth, and giving him two black eyes and a split lip) and another straight at his ribs (breaking most of them) was absolutely nothing compared to what he had just felt.

       He knew Lucius Malfoy had a background in the Dark Arts (his father was a 'reformed' Death Eater), but the Unforgivable Curses? He would have to tell Dumbledore--- he had promised himself that as a gentleman, he would never turn in anyone he fought with, but _this_ just couldn't be forgotten and left alone.

       James lay on the ground, recuperating and savoring its cool hardness. He didn't see a cloaked figure draw his wand and utter---

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Oh yay. Chapter 13 up. Not many people really seem to like this fic (**smiles sadly**), but oh well. It's my first fic, so it's an attempt. 

Please review!

** Anything, email me at sherlock718@hotmail.com, or IM me at Sherlock0718.** J


	14. People Who Smell and People Who Do Illeg...

**Disclaimer:** Haven't seen this in a long time, huh? I have to put this up because you get to meet someone new in this chapter, and I have to tell you that I don't own him. People, I do not own Eric Stratmann. He's a kid in my class that wanted to die in my story, but to annoy him (hey Eric, if you're reading this--- HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), he doesn't _die_, but rather, he passes out like a _baby_. Ooops! Did I just tell you that? ::makes innocent face:: Never mind; just read!

**Parselmouth Majere--- I'm sorry if I scared you or whatever today when I im-ed you. I know I sounded stupid (No, people, do not laugh! ::glares::), and I shouldn't have said that, but anyways… And for the rest of you, if I see your screename in your profile I might im you, so just to tell you… And my sn is Sherlock0718.

Now on with the story! Fun things in this chapter---

Chapter 14: People Who Smell and People Who Do Illegal Things 

       "Ava---" The figure who called himself 'Eric Stratmann' didn't have a chance. A large black dog leaped growling straight at him, bowling him over. 

       They landed on the ground together, do on top of human. The human fought fiercely to dislodge the dog while the dog fought ferociously to stay on top of the human.

       Finally the dog managed to pin Stratmann down, using all his force and weight to keep him from moving. He opened his mouth, displaying all his fangs, and lowered his face down as if to take a bite out of Stratmann's neck.

       "Nooooooooo!!!!!!" With that anguished cry, Stratmann passed out.

       The large black dog then got off, gripped his limp arm firmly in his teeth, and dragged him out of sight behind a corner where Remus was waiting. To everyone else, it looked like a savage, hungry black dog was dragging its meal off to devour in private. However---

~*~*~

       "Ugh." When both he and his burden were out of sight, the dog transformed back into Sirius.

       "What happened?" asked a widely grinning Sirius. "What'd you do to poor little baby Stratmann? Did he have a heart attack?" (A/N: Hahaha! Hey, Eric… ::sticks tongue out::) 

       Sirius expertly thumbed Stratmann's eyelids to find only pure white staring back up at him. "No, he just passed out. As if I really wanted to bite him," muttered Sirius. "I'd rather get eaten by a hippogriff than fasten my jaws on him." He sniffed delicately, then made a face of loathing disgust. "He smells like he hasn't had a bath in _years_."

       "He probably hasn't," agreed Remus whole-heartedly. "Now, care to fill me in on all I've missed?"

~*~*~

       Stratmann's passing out like a baby had several different effects on the figures. Some turned and fled, convinced the dog was a Grim. Others radiated pure fury, and advanced to combat the dog (Sirius had returned to the 'playing field' while Remus crouched behind a tree, ready to jump out if needed).

       Suddenly, a fiercely squealing wild boar leaped out from the trees, aiming straight for Sirius's throat.

~*~*~

       _James--- stag. Sirius--- dog. Unregistered Animagi._ Lily's mind was whirling as things clicked. _Prongs--- Padfoot--- Moony--- Wormtail--- nicknames--- animals. What---_

       Suddenly, she saw the boar fly past her face, sharp tusks going for Sirius's throat.

       "Sirius!" Lily screamed, white with fear. "The boar behind---"

~*~*~

       Just as Lily screamed, she saw a white cat leap out, fangs bared and yowling. It crashed into the boar's side right in mid-air, hurling them both to the ground. 

       Sirius--- or rather, the black dog--- whirled around, growling. Together cat and dog attacked the boar.

       The boar fought back with teeth, claws, and tusks as the cat and dog tried to subdue it. Squeals, yowls, and growls filled the air as the fight went on.

       Then, a mysterious figure garbed in black appeared. When they saw him, the cat and dog immediately bounded away from the boar towards the figure.

       Lily watched silently as the figure pointed its wand at the panting and squealing boar and muttered something that was barely audible. She wriggled around and craned her neck, trying to get a better glimpse of the face under the hood, but no avail. She frowned--- the low, hoarse voice sounded familiar.

       Then, Lilt looked back at the boar and gasped in surprise. It was no longer a boar, but a panting Lucius Malfoy covered in bright red scratches. The remaining two members of Snape's "gang" crouched around him, trying to help him up.

       "_Obliviate,_" the hoarse voice said. "You were running and carelessly tripped and fell in the rosebushes. Go." He pointed to the castle.

       Wordlessly the three limped off in the direction of Hogwarts, their memories revised--- all three genuinely believed they had been running, tripped, and fell in the rosebushes.

       Then, the figure turned towards Lily, wand raised. The hood slipped, and Lily gasped. It was---

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yes, that was a rather short chapter compared to my other ones. I know.

Please review--- at least 10 more for the next chapter. J

Oh, please check out my newest story, "The Forest's Curse" at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=531666

I like it very, very much, and I plan to develop it into a story like this one. It's written basically in the same style, so I think if you like this one, you'll like that one too. The one exception is that it has nothing to do with girls getting raped or near raped. I know my summary sux, so ppl think its another fluffy story--- will anyone plz help me with it?

Any thing, or if you want to write a longer review (::looks hopeful::), you can email me at sherlock718@hotmail.com


	15. Accio

OOOOHHH!!! Sorry that I haven't been able to post in a while. One, ff.net was screwed up, and two, I'm about to go nuts with all the projects and competitions and homework.

Anyways, on with Chapter 15…

Ahhh… MUSHY PART ALERT!!!!  I'm sorry if you're not fond of mushy parts and all, but its necessary for the plot, I think. And don't bomb me with tomatoes at the end, because I know fully well that I CAN'T WRITE SAPPY LOVE SCENES!!!!! No, ppl, I didn't mean nasty scenes. ::cough:: This is rated PG-13, not NC-17. I mean 'mushy' as in… you know. Or you'll find out later anyways.

Chapter 15: Accio 

            Lily's restraints disintegrated. She took the offered hand and got up, gingerly resting her weight on each leg and rubbing her arms to ease the soreness.

            "Thanks," she said gratefully. "Remus--- Sirius--- and---"

            James--- or rather, the stag--- loped gracefully across the lawn. He transformed back into a human and said, "All set. They made it back into Hogwarts."

            Then, James turned to Lily. His eyes softened but he uttered nary a word. The moment of silence stretched.

            "James, I'm sorry," Lily said quietly, not looking at him. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you or your honor. I'm--- I---"

            James stepped close to Lily, put a cool finger under her chin, and made her look up at him. She looked so pleading, so vulnerable, that this time it was James who looked away, but not before Lily saw unshed tears glimmering in his eyes.

            "Oh, James," Lily pleaded, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me?" Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. When he made no move to shrug out of her loose grasp (which probably would have shattered Lily's heart into a thousand pieces and killed her), she hugged him tighter and rested her head on his chest, red hair gleaming.

            Moonlight spilled around them, flowing over Lily and James. It seemed as if they were alone in the world at that moment--- time stood still as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers---

            "Ho! Jamsie-boy! No making out yet! Wait till you're in private or something--- I don't want to be scarred for life at this young age." Remus was grinning wickedly. Both James and Lily looked up and stared daggers at him.

            Suddenly Lily saw the cat and dog behind Remus. She knew the dog was Sirius, but who was the cat? It had to be an Animagus--- Lily was sure about that. It was a creamy-white Persian cat with a peculiar way of walking--- there was something about that jaunty step, but Lily couldn't recall exactly _what_.

            The cat and dog seemed to be extremely friendly, perhaps even intimate--- they were nuzzling and cuddling, and licking each other's wounds. Dog--- cat. Sweetness--- intimacy. Sirius--- _Ariel????_

~*~*~

            "Ariel, is that you?" The cat threw her a disgruntled, reluctant look and resumed her proper form.

            "Yes, it's me. How'd you guess?"

            "It's the way you walk and because you were all--- intimate--- with Sirius, that cute little puppy over there."

            "_Cute??? Puppy???_" Sirius too regained his human form. "That, Evans, just signed your death warrant."

            "Oooohh, death warrant?" Lily smiled sweetly up at James. "You _will_ save me from the big bad wolfie, won't you, Jamsie-honey?"

            However, James had a faraway look on his face as if he were trying to remember something. Suddenly he snapped out of his trance. "Sirius!" he said urgently. "I just remembered! Snape's still stuck in the Whomping Willow!"

~*~*~

            "So?" Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "Do I really care? I hope the tree whomps that greasy-haired slimeball good."

            "I know--- for what he was about to do to Lily, I could most easily and happily kill him with my bare hands. However, I don't care to be responsible for his gruesome death. After all, it was I who butted him into the tree." He grinned. "I feel bad for the poor tree."

            Sirius snorted. "And what is it you want me to do?"

            "Go save him."

            "WHAT??!! Put my life on the line for that--- that--- bastard? Are you bloody _mad???_"

            "Perhaps you can say that." James gazed dreamily down at Lily, who smiled back. They stayed that way for a while, lost in each other's eyes (and missing Sirius's and Remus's gagging and pretending to hurl in the bushes). "You can also take Remus and Ariel with you," added James belatedly when he realized that they were still standing there.

            Sirius started to protest violently when he saw Ariel wink at him. He immediately grinned wickedly. "Yes, sir. Heading out to save a git who doesn't deserve to be saved. Risking our own lives so you and Lily can be alone and---"

            Ariel forcibly dragged Sirius away (who was still muttering about the stupid things one does for a friend), as Remus followed docilely behind them.

            Now alone, James and Lily just looked at each other, then they both looked away, faint blushes staining their cheeks.

            "James, I, ah, have something to tell you. I---"

            "Lily, I---"

            "--- love you," they both finished at the same time, soft voices barely audible. (A/N: Aaaaahhhh! Ok, that was my pitiful attempt at writing a semi-mushy part. I believe it is one of the only parts in this story too, because I know very well that I DO NOT write good, tear-jerking mushy parts like some people I envy… Anyways, on with the story)

            Surprised, they just stared into each other's eyes.

            "Ummm…" Lily blushed. "I--- you---" She was saved from having to say anything else when James's arms sneaked around her waist and his lips brushed hers.

            Then, James felt her stiffen. He looked up and saw her mentally shut down behind locked doors and bolts (Ugggh. Bad comparison, I know. Just bear with me, ok? I couldn't think of anything else); in her eyes he saw traces of fear and apprehension, but also a reluctant yearning mixed within.

            "Jonathan?" he whispered softly, nuzzling her earlobe gently.

            Lily could only nod, tiny shivers of pleasure racing through her body.

            He tenderly brushed away a strand of hair and caressed her cheek. "Lily honey," James said softly, moving down to nuzzle her cheek, "I would rather cut off my hand than hurt you. I would never, ever hurt you, understand? I---"

            James stopped, surprised, as Lily snaked her arms around his head and tilted her face up shyly. This undoubtedly was an invitation--- he had been around the female race long enough to know one when it was offered on a silver platter.

            "Lily?" he questioned huskily, unsure of her sudden change of attitude. He felt his control begin to slip away as he saw her tender lips part and the tip of her tongue run along the edge of her bottom lip. "Are you---"

            "Just kiss me---"

            James didn't need any further encouragement. He cradled Lily's head gently in his hands and kissed her, long and slowly and sweetly. Her arms tightened around his neck just a bit, Lily on her tiptoes, as they both became oblivious to the world around them, centered only on the way they were making each other feel and the pleasure they were feeling coarse through their bodies.

            They both wished as one that it would never end, but---

            "Am I interrupting something?" an oily voice sneered. "Potter and the Mudblood have gotten together, have they? Making out on the lawn--- tsk tsk---"

            The owner of that voice, none other than Severus Snape, was being firmly escorted towards Lily and James by Sirius and Remus, truly looking the worse for the wear. 

            They stopped several feet in front of them and dumped Snape unceremoniously on the ground.

            Sirius prodded Snape savagely with his foot. "What did I tell you to do, you worthless piece of scum?"

            Snape sneered up at James but winced as Sirius's foot connected firmly with his nose. Sirius kicked him again in the ribs, this time harder. "Do it," he hissed venomously.

            Reluctantly, Snape got on his hands and knees, a rebellious look on his face. He bowed down, kissing the ground, and lifted James's foot in the ceremonial manner and placed it atop his slimy head.

            "Thou art my master," he muttered through clenched teeth. "I shall doeth anything thou doth wish for the length of seven days and seven nights." He sneered maliciously (only God knows why when Sirius is right there looking only to happy to kick him) but continued. "Is there anything thou doth wish this faithful and humble servant to doeth at this moment?" (Translation for those of you who don't know Old English: "You are my master. I shall do anything you wish for the length of seven days and seven nights. Is there anything you wish this faithful and humble servant to do at this moment?" Aww…)

            James was bewildered but pleasantly surprised. It was exactly something Sirius would do--- blackmail Snape into being his servant. He might as well take advantage of it. "Well, my little faithful servant Snapie, you can get me a platter of cake and a bottle of butterbeer."

            Snape took out his wand and muttered, "_Accio cake and butterbeer._"

            Two seconds later, a large bowl came whizzing through the air. It was almost filled to the brim with butterbeer, and floating amidst the sea of buttterbeer was a sloppy mass of cake (or at least, what was once cake). The bowl crashed right into Snape's head, dumping its entire contents over his face and robes.

            Everyone cracked up.

            "I--- didn't--- say--- to--- use--- magic," said James between fits of laughter and attempts to gasp for breath. "But--- you--- can't--- even--- do--- a--- simple--- Summoning--- Charm---" He collapsed into another uncontrollable fit of hysterics.

            Snape grimaced and wiped his face on the sole dry portion of his robes. "I'll go get you your cake and butterbeer, then, Master," he said through clenched teeth.

            However, as he was about to get up, James lazily held up a hand to stop him. "Nah, don't worry about it. Watch this, Snape, and learn. _Accio plate of cake. Accio bottle of butterbeer._"

            The cake and butterbeer immediately flew over at James's beck and call. This time, the cake was on a plate with a small fork by its side, and the butterbeer was still in an unopened bottle.

            Under his breath, Snape muttered, "Perfect prefect Potter."

            "What was that, Severus my dear?" James asked, his face and voice dangerously pleasant and calm. With a lazy flick of his wand, the cake and butterbeer flew over and hovered atop Snape's head. "Pray repeat that for me, Snapie?"

            "Oh, nothing, master. I just commented on what a perfect Summoning Charm that was."

            James stared at Snape, face unreadable as ever. Then, he said, "You are dismissed for now. Until further notice, of course." 

            Lily saw a small twitch in his eyebrow (his secret signal for whenever he was going to do something), guessed what he had up his sleeve, and sneezed to conceal her rather loud snicker.

            When Snape was about to stand up, Sirius coughed a cough that sounded uncommonly like 'crawl'.

            Snape looked up and stared daggers at Sirius (who looked around, an innocent expression plastered on his face meaning, Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Why are you all looking at me?), and crawled away.

            When Sanpe was out of hearing and seeing distance, James broke his emotionless façade and whipped out his wand, grinning the famous Marauder-trademark grin. "Summoning Charm practice, guys---

            "_Accio Severus Snape!_"

~*~*~ 

Snape came whizzing ungracefully through the air, crashing right into Lily. They ended up on the ground, Snape panting on top of a red-faced Lily, his face mere centimeters away from hers.

            James saw stars.

            "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" James was shouting as he waved his wand about furiously. "Snape, you pervert! Get off Lily! _Wingardium Leviosa!_"

            Snape was lifted off Lily by an invisible hand, and continued to fly upwards, wavering uncontrollably.

            "Whoa, James. You overdid that a little," said Remus good-naturedly as they all stared upwards.

            "His jealous side is showing. Always knew Prongs had one in him," said Sirius to Ariel with a lusty wink.

            "Potter, put me down! It wasn't my fault that I landed on Lily! Who was the one who wanted Charms practice?"

            "Nah, I believe I'll just let you float away."

            "You--- you---" Snape was sputtering, face glowering.

            "Ummm… James?" Remus said uncertainly, "Not to be a party pooper or anything, but I think you'd better let Snape down."

            James pulled a comically sad face. "But Remmie, I don't know how."

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So… how'd you like this chapter? This one was pretty fun to write. I'll try to upload soon, but I can't promise anything because now it's "teachers-gang-up-on-kids-and-kill-them-with-homework-and-projects time".

The more reviews I get, the faster Chapter 16'll go up! So review!


	16. The Unexpected

_I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been so busy, with everything going on in school. I hope this chapter is worth the wait!_

Thanx to all those folks who have reviewed! Hmmm… 135 reviews for the next chapter! No, I'm not delusional or anything--- with all the stuff going on now, I need time to think about the next chapter. I haven't written it yet, so that's why I'm asking for so many reviews (I need time). =^_^= 

I changed my penname because I didn't feel like waiting. I was going to do it a day after this chapter went up, but, well… I hope you weren't confused. I did give a warning, but you might not have seen it.

Now I have midterms, competitions, and projects, so I might be a little slow in updating, okay? Sorry about that!

I'm thinking another two or [most likely] three chapters. It's not going to end on last chapter's happy note! There is a 'twist', which you will find out at the very end of this chapter…

Enough blabbing. Read! 

Chapter 16: The Unexpected 

            "JAMES!!!" a chorus of voices yelled simultaneously.

            "Jamsie-boy, you've bitten off more than you can chew," said Remus, shaking his head sadly.

            "Oh, great," said James sarcastically. "I'm choking. Now help me."

            "Help the git again?" asked Sirius incredulously. "Omigod, Prongs, are you becoming _soft_? You're going to save him? Twice in one night?"

            "Well, how do we explain Snape's disappearance? If Dumbledore finds out, we'll all be drowning in shit," said Ariel. "But then again, who cares? This is worth it."

            Lily was the only one who hadn't actually berated James for his stupidity. She hadn't even said anything. She appeared to be staring pensively at the shrinking spot in the sky that was Severus Snape.

            She was muttering random words and phrases out of the corner of her mouth, which were probably from whatever she was calculating in her head. They were able to pick up what sounded like, "Magic… forces… gravity… weight…"

            "She's gone mad," muttered Sirius, who had never been fond of Muggle physics (he had almost failed that class).

            However, Remus's eyes lit up. "That's it!" he cried. "We don't know the counter-charm, but we can use the properties of physics to bring him down. We just need to add enough weight to overcome the force of the charm!"

            His eyes sparkled. "Thanks, Lily, you're a dear. You've just possibly saved us all from expulsion." Then he hugged her.

            James totally forgot about the dilemma they were facing. "Moony!" he shouted. "Hands off! Lily's mine! _Mine!_"

            As Remus backed away, hands lifted in surrender and an expression of [fake] fear on his face, Lily broke out of her trance. "Huh?"

            (A/N: Don't ask what that was all about. I got a little--- carried away. Now James sounds like some possessive geek. Ack. Please forget about all that then if that is what you think of James at the moment. He's really a sweetie, not to mention a hottie. ^_^ That goes for the entire chapter, because I got carried away quite a bit. I was kind of hyper, plus a lot of other emotions that don't mix well, so please forgive the mad monkey for her insanity.) 

~*~*~

            "I've got it, guys. Snape's not going to look pretty (not that he ever did), but he'll come down." Lily pointed her wand up at the sky where Snape had disappeared and shouted, "_Engorgio!_"

            "As long as we don't get expelled, anything works. Lily darling, I'll kill dragons for you if you ever call."

            James stared daggers at Remus. "_I'm_ her hero. _I_ put my life on the line for her. _I_ kill the dragons, not you." He paused, then added as an afterthought, "But you can be the servant who wipes up the dragon guts after I'm done with them."

            Remus grimaced, thinking back to the anatomy book he had just read and recalling every detail of a dragon's anatomy that would be exposed should James ever be in the same room with it and have to save Lily because she was in "mortal peril". He then turned his attention back to James.

            Remus could read his friend like a book. He knew that this time, Lily was 'for real'. James would crawl through seas of fire and pits of ice for her.

            It was new; James had never before even thought about a girl for more than a week, whether they were going out or not. Here, he had been pining over Lily for months. When it came to some girls, if they were in danger of being torn to shreds by a hippogriff, James would probably turn his back and find a new girlfriend. If Lily was in danger of being hurt by a hippogriff (or anything else, for that matter of fact--- human, animal, plant, or inanimate object), James would probably massacre the beast and everything within 20 miles of it in his blind fury.

            That was why Remus would gladly surrender and "hand" Lily over to James with no qualms whatsoever--- he truly did love Lily, and would never break her heart. Or at least he'd better not if he valued his life…

            It was a majorly huge (A/N: Don't ask. ^_^) step from "sexy playboy" to "faithful love", but James could handle it. He already had.

            _Thump_. "Aaaarrrgghhh! You--- stupid--- gits--- get you--- expelled--- ouch--- nose---"

            It appeared that Lily's plan had worked. Snape--- a Snape four times as large, that is--- had just crash-landed face first on the ground. He was still expanding.

            Lily ran forward, wand out and ready. "_Rever_---"

            Ariel nudged her, a wicked gleam in her eye. Lily's eyes then took on the same diabolical twinkle. "--- _reducio_," finished Lily.

            'Reversio' was the counter-spell to 'Engorgio', which would return the enlarged object to its normal size. However, 'Reducio' was a handy little spell that would shrink an object until the spell-caster said 'Termino' (which would stop the shrinking) or 'Enlargio' (which would return the object to its normal size). (A/N: Did I confuse you?)

            Snape continued to shrink, his oily voice getting higher and squeakier as he got smaller.

            "Evans!" he squeaked. "Stop this this instant!"

            "Yes, Snapie," said Lily sweetly. "_Termino_." She bent over and picked Snape up, but he slipped and came crashing down to the ground from a distance of about two feet. Considering the fact that he was about 6 inches tall, it was a long way to go.

            "Evans! You--- groan--- you--- ouch---"

            "Sorry, Snapie dear. If you wash that slime off your head, maybe you won't slip next time."

            "It's high-quality axle-grease, not slime!"

            "Yes, I'm sure." She grimaced as she wiped the slippery 'axle-grease' off her fingers. "Whatever it is, wash it off."

                "That one little bottle of Abby's Atrocious Axle Grease cost 7 galleons!"

            "Shame on you for wasting that much money on this--- nasty stuff. You could probably get the same effect by using Fang's dung. Next time we have Care of Magical Creatures, ask Hagrid for some. He'd be more than happy to wipe some over your head and face."

            "Why--- Evans--- you--- Return me to my regular size this instant!"

                "Do I have to? It's quite amusing to hear you squeak so pathetically."

            "Why--- you---"

                "Me what?"

            "I wouldn't say anything, Snape, because Lily is pissed off right now. You'll stay a moronic midget for the rest of your life if you don't shut up and start begging. 'Reducio' is permanent until reversed by the spell-caster, and only the spell-caster, you know," Ariel said.

            Snape sputtered furiously. "Evans, this is dark magic! You can bet Dumbledore'll be happy to learn that the famous--- or should I say _infamous_--- Marauders are Death Eaters!"

            Lily scoffed and James snorted. "_Dark magic?_ A simple Shrinking Charm we learn in third year is _dark magic_? Snape, you've dabbled more in dark magic than all the Marauders put together!"

            Then, Sirius's eyes lit up. He leaned over and whispered something in Remus's ear, who looked faintly troubled but obediently relayed the message to James. James looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded to Sirius, his eyes twinkling evilly.

            "Well, Snape, you know that I wouldn't curse my friends, right?" He pointed his wand at Sirius and said clearly, "_Reducio!_"

            Sirius--- and his wand, which was out in front of him--- began to shrink. When he was about the size of Snape (but a little bigger, of course), James said, "_Termino!_"

            "Ah-ha!" Sirius shouted as he brandished his miniature wand at Snape. "You're _mine_ now, Snapie-boy!"

            "_Morbidioso!_"

            "_Crucio!_"

            "Now, now, Snape, dabbling with the Unforgivables, are we?"

            "_Avada Kedavra!_"

            Sirius dodged the thin, wavering beam of green light. His expression hardened. "Trying to kill me, Snape? I won't have that. _Infrostio!_"

            The blade of grass behind Snape froze and shattered. Sirius cursed his aiming as he dodged another green beam of light.

            "Halt for a moment!" cried Remus, freezing them both. "James, Lily, bring these two back to their original size. This will be--- interesting--- entertainment, even better if we can actually _see_ what is happening."

            After a moment's hesitation, the two obeyed. The moment Remus unfreezed them---

            "_Frivoloso!_"

            "_Queraribus!_"

            "_Pyronimus!_"

            "_Avada Kedavra!_" A bush by Sirius's foot shriveled up.

            "_Infrostio!_" Snape dodged just in time.

            "_Avada Kedavra!_" Sirius leaped to the side as the now-familiar beam of light whizzed past him.

            Suddenly he heard a body crumple beside him. When Sirius turned around, he felt his world turn upside down…

(A/N: The rhyming was unintentional.)

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Ah, sorry about the evil cliffie. Anyways, three guesses on who 'the body' is! I'd like you to please give a guess or two (or three) in your review--- this will be interesting. I want to see the results. ^_^

I got my new story, the Alternate Universe one I've been raving and ranting about for awhile, uploaded. Finally! Check it out--- its called "Lily Evans and the Sphinx's Enigma". This is one of my favorite stories, possibly my favorite. ::rubs hands together excitedly:: I am going to have so much fun with it…

Could you please email me or tell me in a review which of my three L/J fics you want me to post more of first? I need to get my priorities straight, and your two cents worth would help a lot. ^_^

Ah, I believe that's it. Don't forget to review!

=^_^= Merlin's Quill  


	17. Sleeping Beauty

_I can't believe it's actually been three months since I last updated Invisible Barriers. _I'm so sorry, and I won't make excuses because I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to them. ::sighs:: This is what happens when you have three stories going on. I'm an idiot for wanting to start another one. I'm not going to blab up here because nobody reads these anyways. At the end of the chapter, I have a semi-long Author's Note that is important. ^_^ Here's Chapter 17.

OH! I almost forgot! About the guesses— thanks for guessing who got hit by _Avada Kedavra_. I'm delighted to report that nobody guessed right. ::cackles evilly:: 

When you read Chapter 17, even though some parts may not sound right, please bear with me. There will be explanations for everything later.

I'll shut up now. _Please read the Author's Note at the end. It should clear up some confusion._

Chapter 17: Sleeping Beauty 

James lay on the ground, motionless. His skin was cool and clammy, and a dull pearly gray.

"James," Lily sobbed as she knelt by him, his head cradled gently in her hands. "James… James… wake up… no… no…"

As Sirius, Remus, and Ariel all rushed to James's side, Severus Snape stood back, totally shocked. He had never meant to kill anyone— he had only meant to scare them. His _Avada Kedavra_ wasn't powerful enough to kill anyone, he was sure of that. Or was it?

Slowly, Lily looked up, an expression on her face so terribly frightening but at the same time vulnerable and painful that Snape involuntarily cowered back. "You killed him… you killed him…" she whispered softly, more to herself than to him. "Snape— you killed James—"

Remus rose, his expression unreadable. "We'll need Dumbledore. Make sure no one comes or leaves." With that, he strode off rather jerkily in the direction of the Great Hall where the lights of the ball still blazed merrily.

The four of them— Lily, Sirius, Ariel, and Snape— remained where they were. The only sounds were Sirius's ragged breaths and Lily's broken sobs as tears dripped slowly down her face onto James's robe.

Suddenly, mysteriously, thin, white droplets of ice drifted down from the sky to gather on the ground.

_Snow._

Lily, Sirius, Ariel, and Snape looked up in amazement. Normally, it never snowed until January 18. For some unknown reason, Dumbledore had unofficially chosen that day to let it snow and give the students and teachers the day off. Many guessed it was his birthday, but no one could ask Dumbledore that without blushing and stammering and wondering at their nerve to even _think_ about asking the Headmaster when his birthday was. When some brave student dared to ask, Dumbledore would only smile distantly, as if remembering old days, and the conversation would end without a coherent answer. 

Why today? Why did the first snow choose today to fall? Dumbledore controlled the weather around Hogwarts, though he didn't meddle much with Mother Nature, but this was still unusual. What was happening?

As in response to all their silent queries, Dumbledore appeared beside James. His wise, age-wrinkled face and impassive light blue eyes betrayed his sadness as he knelt beside James and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind his ear. Remus too had returned, and he took up a position by James's still arm.

When Dumbledore spoke, it was slowly and softly, with an air of sadness and experience that captivated their attention. "In all my years at Hogwarts, including when I was a student, the Transfiguration teacher, and now Headmaster, no student has ever killed another on school grounds."

Dumbledore's voice moved something inside Snape, and he bowed his head to hide his shame and reluctant regret. 

Dumbledore lay a hand on James's slack, motionless shoulder and continued. "I decided to relinquish my hold on the weather this year to see what would happen. It seems strange, does it not, that the snow should choose to fall at this moment?"

The same strand of wayward hair came loose once again from behind James's ear. When Dumbledore absently reached over to sweep it back, Lily could have sworn his eyes had widened most peculiarly. However, in the next moment, the look was gone, replaced with the same look of weary sadness from before, so Lily dismissed it, thinking it had all been a figment of her imagination, as was everything else. _James wasn't dead. He couldn't be._ She bowed her head to try to stem the fresh wave of tears that thought had brought, wishing this was all a dream. Maybe she had drunk too much butterbeer, and all of this was a hallucination, an uncannily realistic hallucination, but a hallucination all the same. _Please let this all be a dream. I've just found James, please don't take him away from me now. Please, if any wish of mine will ever be granted, if any dream of mine will ever come true, let it be this one._ A sob rose in her throat and she began to shake uncontrollably. Remus, his own hazel eyes full of grief, laid a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder.

Suddenly, Ariel snapped out of her silent trance. "Snape belongs in Azkaban," she said, her voice curt and frigid.

Everyone turned to look at Severus, their faces expressionless except for Ariel and Sirius's, whose glowed with pure hatred. Snape bowed his head and looked down, refusing to meet their eyes.

"Well, Severus, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Dumbledore slowly in a soft, almost calm tone.

Severus Snape's head was about to burst with what he wanted to say. _I didn't mean to! We were only playing! I never dreamed that my Avada Kedavra would be strong enough to kill a person!_ "Nothing, Professor."

"Well, that's good, Snape," Sirius said bitterly. "There's nothing we can do now. James is dead, gone forever. All the pitiful excuses and apologies won't bring him back." Sirius's voice became choked with unshed tears, and he looked away for a moment, trying to get himself under control. Suddenly, his head snapped up, and Snape inadvertently shrunk back from his gaze— Sirius's eyes were like burning hot coals, blazing with fury. "Damn you to hell and beyond, Snape!" Sirius spat. "You killed James! He was my best friend, my brother in all possible ways but blood…" Sirius's voice trailed off for a moment as he struggled to regain his composure and keep himself from leaping at the murdering bastard's throat. "Now he's dead. All because off you. I will hate you until I die for this, Snape." The unveiled poison in Sirius's voice struck Severus, but the composure and the ability to hide emotions borne of many years in Slytherin took over, and Snape only glared defiantly back.

Remus then looked up from his position by James. He raised the hand resting on James's wrist to run his fingers through his floppy, sandy brown hair. "But James isn't—"

Dumbledore fixed Remus with a piercing gaze that stopped him mid-sentence. They seemed to be communicating silently. Then, Remus nodded slightly and returned his gaze to James's limp hand. All of a sudden, Remus found James's fingernails quite fascinating.

"James isn't what, Remus?" asked Ariel slowly, suspiciously, her eyes steadily boring into Remus's head. "Pray finish the sentence, _Mister Lupin_."

Remus looked up again. "Ah, I forgot." When he felt the heat of everyone's glare on him, as they all could see through Remus's lie, he began to stutter. "Oh, I, umm… I was saying that James isn't really _gone_. He'll always be in our hearts forever and ever," he added dramatically, trying to smile but failing miserably.

Everyone groaned, and Snape rolled his eyes, but Lily only continued to stare into space with tears running down her cheeks and James's head cradled in her lap. She had uttered nary a word at all. Her stony expression bore no signs that she had even heard anything.

Dumbledore stood up. "I will have to notify many people. Stay here, and…" He glanced at Remus, nodded, and then turned to walk away towards the castle. Remus was hard-pressed to hide his mischievous glee. However, when Ariel whipped around and fixed him with her most piercing glare, he quickly wiped all traces of the unholy grin off his face.

"What is there to be happy about, Remus? James is dead and you're _happy???_ You cold-hearted bastard…" Ariel's voice faltered as fury burned in her eyes. "There aren't words strong enough to express— this— Your friend is dead! _James_ is dead! Gone! Never to return!" Her voice rose with every word until she was almost shouting. Suddenly Ariel clapped a hand to her mouth and cast a guilty glance at Lily. _Oh, I shouldn't have said that. Even though Remus was being an insensitive bastard. I hope Lily didn't hear, but fat chance of that with all my shouting. Gods, I'm sorry. Me and my big mouth._

Lily did hear, and for the first time that night since James had been hit, she responded to what she heard. Slowly, she swiveled here head around and fixed Ariel with bloodshot eyes. "Yes, Ariel. James is dead. Gone. Never to return. Thank you for enlightening us on something we never knew before." The utter lack of emotion in her voice made everyone flinch, because Lily was always a very passionate person— quick to happiness, quick to anger, but always radiating some type of emotion. None of them had ever seen her like this. It looked like— like a part of her had died.

The uneasy silence stretched for a long period of time, as none of them knew what to say. Remus was torn between what he knew he should do and the seriousness of the situation. _How can I break it to them?_ he wondered, though he kept his face still and impassive should Ariel see something on his face that she didn't like and start another little 'fight'. Finally, Remus began to hum, to break the awkward silence, if nothing else. He wasn't sure if this would work…

Ariel looked up at him is surprise. "The theme song from Sleeping Beauty?"

Remus sighed inwardly. _At least someone recognized it. Now do they know what I mean?_

His thoughts were cut off, however, when Lily turned to him. Sleeping Beauty had always been one of he favorite Muggle fairy tales. Hey eyes became dreamy and reminiscent as she began to quote:

_Princess Aurora was born to a King and Queen,_

_A childe before they never had,_

_But their happiness was soon shattered,_

_Their newfound joy turned bad._

_The gift of the eveil fairy was a curse,_

_That over Aurora's dead body her parents would weep,_

_But it was lightened by a good fairy's gift,_

_So the prick of her finger would only send her to sleep._

_All spinning wheels were banished from the kingdom,_

_For the princess's life their spindle would end,_

_But the good fairies only shook their heads_

_And said the harm would not mend._

_To a forest the good fairies brought Aurora,_

_For sixteen years they lived there,_

_Safeguarding her from all danger,_

_She was safe from the curse in their care._

_Aurora grew up to be lovely,_

_Blessed with every grace possible under the sun,_

_So of course she had many a suitor,_

_But she continued to refuse every one._

_But the day before her sixteenth birthday,_

_A prince found a place in her heart,_

_But back to the palace Aurora was called,_

_Before their romance had yet to start._

_A celebration was held at the palace,_

_To welcome Aurora back home,_

_But soon growing tired of the party,_

_Through the palace she decided to roam._

_Aurora stopped at a doorway_

_Where a woman sat spinning within,_

_She said, "Come in my dear, no need to be shy,_

_Would you like me to teach you to spin?"_

_The princess looked on with interest,_

_For she had never seen such a thing,_

_All spinning wheels had been banished from the kingdom when she was quite young,_

_By the royal decree of the King._

_Aurora happily accepted the offer_

_And eagerly stepped through the door,_

_But the woman pricked her finger on the spindle,_

_And the princess slumped to the floor._

_The evil fairy cackled with glee,_

_Thinking the princess dead and her work done,_

_She vanished, taking her spinning wheel with her_

_Just as the three good fairies came in at a run._

_The fairies too one glance at the princess's body_

_And knew they had failed in their job,_

_"We let her return to the palace too soon,"_

_One of them cried with a sob._

_And then they wondered what they should do_

_For she would not waken till her true love's kiss,_

_So the three good fairies put the whole castle to sleep_

_So when she finally woke her family and friends she would not miss._

_For weeks and months the castle lay asleep,_

_Many had tried, but from the curse the princess could not be freed,_

_The fairies sighed, for her true love was not to be found,_

_But then Aurora's prince came atop a great white steed._

_The evil fairy had learned he could wake the princess,_

_So in her dungeon she had kept him under lock and key,_

_But true love is not a force to be reckoned with,_

_And he soon fought himself free._

_His captor learned of his escape and a fierce battle raged,_

_But the evil fairy the prince did slay,_

_So now he was at the castle to wake his beloved,_

_And he knelt by Aurora where she lay._

_The gentle kiss of her true love_

_Sparked the small bright flame of life inside her,_

_Aurora's eyelids fluttered open, and_

_The curse upon her birth was gone forever._

_Inside the castle people began to stir,_

_The celebration continuing with hugs and laughter_

_And then that day, Aurora and her prince were wed,_

_And they lived happily ever after._

(A/N: Good? Corny? What do you think of it? This 18-verse poem is one of the reasons why this chapter has taken so long to upload. I had a horrible time writing this, so I believe some credits are due to those who helped and pushed me to finish this. First of all, I need to thank my friends Elana, who does not have a ff.net account yet, 'yet' being the key word ^_^, Jaime, who I think has an account under "Mathlover" but I'm not sure, and last of all, Sainatee, AKA Solid Gold Buddhist Raccoon. Thanks Jaime for getting me started, Sainatee for writing me a poem when I asked her too, but I couldn't use it because it wasn't the type I needed (go read it under her account), and most of all Elana, who helped me write this dang thing because by no means am I a poet. Another note is that this is based on the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty, not the traditional one. Also, how Lily has 72 lines memorized, I don't know. Okay, back to the story.)

When Lily finished, a single tear dripped down her cheek. "My mom used to tell that to me every night before I went to bed, so often that it was etched into my memory," she said hoarsely to no one is particular, with a bleak, reminiscent look in her eyes. "And every night as I slept, I would dream about the prince that would come rescue me and whisk me away to a perfect, Utopian kingdom of eternal happiness with no misery, no pain, no suffering. But as I grew older, I realized that there would never be a prince, that there was no Utopia, so the 8-year old that I was shoved the poem away to the darkest corner of my mind. The disappointment, the realization, was a powerful blow that opened my eyes to what really was around me. I made a pledge to myself to never believe in what seems too good to be true, because it probably isn't. I couldn't let myself anchor my entire heart and soul to a dream that had no more substance or truth to it than a gust of air or a wispy cloud. My heart and soul wouldn't survive another crushing blow." 

Another tear rolled down her face, but Lily made no move to brush it away. "But then I met James, and I couldn't throw an anchor to reality when I fell in love without knowing it. I poured my entire heart into it without knowing what I was doing. When I realized I had fallen in love, I began to think of my promise, of the crushing blows of disappointment in my past that had scarred me, everything from realizing there was no Utopia and no prince to what Jonathan had done. I tried to turn back, but it was too late. Then fate took a turn that night in the Astronomy Tower, and my life became chaotic. I had a good reason to break up with James, but I couldn't do it because I knew he would never do that to me. I tried to convince myself that he did do it, that he was a jerk, but my heart wouldn't let me, so I took the coward's way out and pushed James away." She stopped and looked away for a moment, the pain of these memories rendering her unable to speak. "That just made me even more miserable. Then tonight, I finally realized how much I loved him, that he was the prince of my dreams. But now he's dead. Gone. Never to return, as you so succinctly put it, Ariel," Lily added bitterly. 

She turned away, more and more tears rolling down her cheeks in a steady stream, and buried her face in her hands. Ariel knelt by Lily and hugged her close, but let her cry. Remus and Sirius fidgeted awkwardly, feeling somewhat useless and out of place. Even Snape was smote by Lily's quiet sobbing. regret and remorse at what he had done and all the lives he had changed gnawing at him.

Remus could stand it no longer. The pain, the misery, the suffering… "But he's not dead, Lily," Remus said in a gentle voice.

Everyone immediately froze. Four pairs of questioning, hoping eyes turned towards him.

Lily's gaze was painful. Did she dare to hope? Hope was a fickle thing. It had fulfilled many a person's dreams, but hope had also driven many to madness, even killed. Could she risk letting a spark of hope into her heart again? Was it possible that all had not been lost yet?

Remus saw the pain and hope in Lily's eyes, and gulped. He knew the hope could easily strike her down for the last time and kill her heart and soul if it wasn't true. Could he pull through with this? The answer might have been no, but then Remus's gaze flickered to James's motionless body and memories rushed through his mind, strengthening his resolve. After all the sacrifices, all the things that James had done for him, Remus would not fail him now.

"Lily, James isn't dead," Remus repeated. "Snape's curse wasn't powerful enough to kill him. He's just hovering between sleep and unconsciousness. Do you remember Binns droning on about Aurora the Awful? She was what the Muggle tale was based on, though someone screwed it up badly. The Muggles think she was a good little princess who was cursed by an evil witch at birth for not being invited to her christening, but she was really a Dark witch who was cursed by an Auror. For some reason, the _Avada Kedavra_ didn't kill her, just brought her into a state of unconscious sleep. Her husband, a fellow Dark wizard, had thought she was actually dead, and he kissed her as in farewell. He hadn't expected her to wake up at all. The Muggle version of this tale makes me laugh every time I hear it over the summer." Remus laughed weakly, but then sobered immediately when he saw hope flare in Lily's eyes. _Gods, I hope, for both my sake and Lily's, that Dumbledore and I are right. Please let James wake up so this hellish night can be over._

Lily's voice quivered as she slowly asked, "You mean if I kissed James he would waken?"

Silence and tension crackled through the air as everyone waited for the answer that would change their lives forever. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, Remus answered, "Yes."

Time stood still as everyone held their breaths, waiting for Lily's reaction. Even the snowflakes appeared to cease their motion, hovering in the air.

Then, Lily smiled, a sweet smile full of joy and hope. One by one, everyone released their pent up breath, and they too smiled. The snowflakes continued swirling over their heads and fluttering lightly to the ground.

Sirius suddenly leaped up, his handsome (A/N: That was for you, Solid Gold Buddhist Raccoon!) face wreathed in unholy grins. He pulled Ariel to her feet and into his arms, tipping her head back and kissing her passionately. Snowflakes swirled around them, settling into their hair and onto their dress robes.

 It was a timeless moment, a scene where two young lovers discover how deep and true their love runs, a scene where they know nothing but each other, the scene that every girl dreams about and yearns for in her lifetime. But Lily did not begrudge her friend the moment, for she would soon have one of her won with her prince, her own true love.

Ariel and Sirius finally broke apart, breathless, faces flushed, and eyes gleaming. Unwilling to part with the contact that gave them comfort, warmth (both literally and symbolically ^_^), security, and love— those fuzzy feelings down inside— they were still in each other's arms, Ariel's head resting against Sirius's head.

Ariel smiled drunkenly, still reeling and starry-eyed from Sirius's kiss. "Come on, Lily," she urged, "kiss Jamesie-boy. It's time he woke up from his sleep." She cocked her head, peering at Lily. "You could do with a good kissing," she observed. "But make sure it's not from Sirius. Tell me, is James a good kisser? Maybe I should see for myself…" Sirius scowled down at her, and Ariel laughed, pulling him down for another kiss.

Lily smiled at her two friends and shook her head, then turned to James, who was lying motionless on the snow-covered ground. She ran his fingers slowly through his unruly hair and down his face. _He looks so peaceful and innocent, something I never thought I would see James Potter look like,_ she thought, _but I think I like him better awake._

She leaned over and brushed her lips across his, lightly at first, and then a little more deeply. She waited for the first sign of his awakening— the flutter of an eyelid, the intake of breath, the movement of a hand. Remus and Snape looked on anxiously, and even Ariel and Sirius paused in their kissing to watch.

But nothing happened… 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Finally, Chapter 17 is up. Please read the Author's Note to clear up some confusion.

First of all, I will admit that I was getting tired of this story and I just wanted to end it and get it over with so I could work on my other stories. If it had to be a clishe, so be it. I think you can guess what was going to happen. Lily kisses James, he wakes up, the clock strikes midnight, the end. ::hurls, then conks head against the wall:: I can't believe I ever thought of writing something like that! I'm so ashamed! ::buries face in hands:: I wanted to put off having to write a stupid ending like that, so of course this story got put beneath everything else on my desk. However, one day I got this really great idea, so this will keep going for another couple of chapters. I also promise now that the idea monster has visited, I will post more frequently.

Another thing I have to mention is that_ this may be turning AU._ I have a pretty good idea of where this is going to go, and parts of it will not follow the books. Please keep this in mind so that you don't ask why I did this or did that later on.

Okay, since I did say I was going to post more frequently… 175 reviews for the next chapter. I've got a good portion of it written, and I have to type it, so it should be up around the time I get that many reviews. It's not too much to ask, is it? Lately I haven't been getting that many reviews.

=^.^= Merlin's Quill

      


	18. Tardum Mortis

I told you that I wouldn't make you wait three months for the next chapter. Well, here it is. Chapter 18 in all its glory.

I will ask you again at the end of the chapter, but is this story really clishe-ish? I was told in a review that the last couple chapters were clishe-ish. Please honestly tell me if it is, so I can find more twists and things to put in. However, the stuff about Sleeping Beauty was meant to be clishe-ish. I wrote it that way on purpose. Okay?

I've learned that nobody reads these things up top, so I'll shut up now and save everything for after the chapter. Here's Chapter 18.

Oh, Slinkimalinki (I hope I spelled that right; ff.net won't let me access my reviews to check): Thanks so much for your super long review! It makes me very happy that somebody likes my story and is willing to take the time to write such a nice review. LOL

Also, much thanks to everyone who still remembers this story after such a long break in between posts.

NOTE: This chapter— well, at least the _first_ part of this chapter— is rather poetic, I think. When I write about feelings, and try to analyze characters' behavior at the same time, I get poetic. Tell me what you think.

**Chapter 18: _Tardum Mortis_**

            Confused, Lily raised her head and looked at everyone— they all seemed to be as bewildered as she was. Why wasn't James waking up?

            She felt a pang in her chest, an empty hollowness, that started to grow and spread. Still, she fought to keep it down and out of her expression. All hope had not been lost yet, she silently told herself. Or had it?

Slowly, Lily turned to Remus. There was confusion written over his handsome features (A/N: **sticks tongue out at Solid Gold Buddhist Raccoon** But then again, it's rumored that Remus will be played by Christian Bale in the third movie. Is that good or bad? Hmmm…), but there was also a look of bleak pain in his eyes.

Lily felt a dagger in her chest, ready to pierce her heart; to inflict the most agonizing pain she had ever felt in her life; to leave deep gouges and wounds that would never heal. And maybe even slay her from within, leaving a soulless body who lived— drifted— from day to day, without the will to live any longer. It would be a horrible fate, especially at so young an age with such a seemingly bright future ahead. But it could really happen, and all it needed was one word—

Quietly, she said, "There's something wrong, isn't there, Remus?"

Remus didn't answer, didn't meet her eyes. Seeing this, Lily felt the dagger position itself right by her heart, its tip ready to pierce— and kill. All it needed was one word—

Remus moved over to James's side, touched his chest lightly with the tip of her wand, and muttered something in a rough, low voice. A grey shimmer formed a cloud around James's body, and Remus paled. He looked up at Lily, the pain in his eyes intensifying, then finally, overflowing.

He couldn't tell her. He knew it would kill her. _One word—_ But he had no choice. He had to tell her.

One word— 

In a hoarse, almost inaudible voice, Remus whispered, "James is dying."

~*~*~

It took a moment for the meaning of the words to sink in. But when it did, Lily's face whitened and she curled up on the ground, mentally absorbing the powerful, agonizing blow the dagger had struck to her heart. "_No_," she whispered, "_No, James, you can't die…_"

Remus bowed his head, his eyes closed; Snape gasped, his skin turning a pasty white; Ariel froze, then sank to the ground; and Sirius, his eyes wide with disbelief and horror, ran to James's side.

His hands trembling uncontrollably, Remus performed the charm again, only to find the same answer staring back at him, its meaning horribly bold and clear. His friend had not long to live. Soon, his body would give out, and James would be dead, truly gone, never to return.

Slowly, dazedly, Remus rose to his feet. It was like he was in a dream— or rather, a nightmare. The reality of the situation was still shrouded beneath a hazy, opaque mist, not having yet penetrated his senses. "Dumbledore," he mumbled, "we'll need Dumbledore." He took a step forward, but stumbled as reality finally broke through his daze, and fell to his knees. He buried his face in his hands, shaking as silent, uncontrollable sobs racked his body.

_James was dying._

Before, Remus had realized at about the same time as the Headmaster that James wasn't truly dead. But this time… Health Charms never lied.

_James was truly dying._

Snape, his face pulled into a completely neutral, shielded expression perfected through his years in Slytherin, was about to make a move towards Remus— perhaps to comfort him— when he stopped. Such behavior was weak, unacceptable for a Slytherin— and Severus Snape was proud to be a pureblooded Slytherin. He could not— would not— offer comfort. But… 

Caught between conflicting emotions, Snape did the only thing he could think of. "I see you're in no condition to do anything, Lupin," he said curtly. "Stay here, and I will get Dumbledore." With that, Snape strode off towards Hogwarts, black robes billowing and accenting his powerful, commanding stride.

Sirius was kneeling by James's side, looking down at his friend with dark eyes that had lost their twinkle and seemed too old. He said nothing nor did anything; he just looked at James, lying peacefully in the snow. He was still trying to come to terms with Remus's whispered words and their meaning, with the stark, harsh reality behind them. Nothing had pierced the armor surrounding his soul yet, the armor he had fashioned to protect his fragile heart from any more pain ever since Voldemort has murdered his parents, so all he felt was a cold numbness inside. But he could hear the pain knocking on his door, so he waited, waited for the final blow to strike and shatter his shield, and let reality in. _It couldn't be true… James couldn't be dying…_ The hammer had been raised, ready to swing, and Sirius steeled himself for the fatal blow. But it still wouldn't come, so the cold numbness remained; Sirius still refused to accept the fact that Death would soon take James, just as Death had taken his parents.

Hesitantly, Ariel moved to Sirius's side, but made no move to touch him or offer any comfort when he did not even acknowledge her presence. She was not hurt by his coldness or indifference; she could feel his pain, and understood the crushing blow Remus's words had dealt. Ariel was one of the few people that had always known there was a sensitive side to Sirius, a side hidden by his laughing eyes and mischievous personality. The pranks and jokes were his armor around this side, the side that had been forced to absorb the painful blows life had dealt him, including the murder of his parents. She knew how vulnerable he was at the moment, no different from a small, lost child.

Slowly, Ariel lay her hand on Sirius's. For a moment, he did not move, and Ariel was afraid he would brush her off as one would with a fly. But then, he turned blank, emotionless eyes towards her, and after one long breath of silence, she saw something break inside of him. He did not collapse and sob, as Remus had. Rather, Sirius was frozen. Simply frozen. He was not shocked, nor was he paralyzed. He was just… _frozen_. No tears. No screaming and wailing. He just looked like a shell, whose soul had been sucked from him.

For Ariel, seeing Sirius so devastated, so hurt, yet _not_ hurt, so simply shell-like, was much more painful than if he had just broken down and cried. It hurt her to know that he was bearing so much grief— that it had completely overcome him— and she could do nothing. Slowly, fat tears began to roll down her face, which she hurriedly brushed away. She was the only strong one left. She couldn't break down now, not when the others needed her to be their anchor to life. She looked around her, helpless. Remus had his head in his hands and was fighting back tears; Lily was curled up completely, motionless except for the quiet sobs that wracked her body; and Sirius— No, she couldn't break down now, not now.

It was then that Snape returned with Dumbledore. 

Wasting no precious time, Dumbledore rushed to James's side and wordlessly took out a ruby— symmetric in all ways and carved with beauty and precision— and placed it by James's heart. He drew a small glass vial from within his cloak, and poured three drops of the liquid onto the ruby. Then, he touched the tip of his wand to the largest facet of the gem and shouted, "_Vita Repertorum!_"

_Vita Repertorum_— the Life-Finder Spell. Cast on a normal person, the gem would glow a bright red, showing the presence of strong life. Lily prayed that the ruby would glow, would shine with all the power it could. James wasn't dying— he couldn't be. Not the James who had been so sweet, yet who had once made her so miserable, the James who had so valiantly fought for her… and who had become so important to her life…

But it was not to be. The gem only emitted a faint, flickering glow, a dim, almost non-existent light. James was in an "unconscious sleep", unaware that his life was slowly being drained from him. The light from the ruby was soft and weak, as fragile as a candle flame.

Slowly, Dumbledore touched his wand to the ruby and said, "Finite Incantatem". The light disappeared, seemingly folding in on itself, and Dumbledore returned the ruby and vial to his cloak.

Showing all his years, Dumbledore turned to his students. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "There's no hope left." He bowed his head, and the silence that followed his soft pronouncement seemed eternal, and deafening. 

Finally, Dumbledore spoke up again. "I never expected this," he said softly, sadly. "When Remus fetched me the first time, I came and saw that James was only in a state of unconscious sleep. Severus's spell should not have killed him. I noticed that Remus also knew, so when I left to return to the castle, I nodded for him to tell you. What happened next, Remus?"

Raising his head to look at the Headmaster's grave face, Remus answered, "Lily kissed James, but nothing happened. I cast a Health Charm—"

"A Health Charm?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "That's very advanced magic. I didn't learn it until I entered Auror training many years ago. In this situation, it wouldn't have even entered my mind to use it. Excellent, Remus."

"Thank you, Professor." Remus glowed inwardly. Although Professor Dumbledore was not as strict with praise as Professor McGonagall, to be complimented by the Headmaster was still a high honor.

"Then what?"

Remus took a deep breath, "The charm said James was dying. I thought I might have done something wrong— I never thought it possible— but I cast it again, and received the same results. I was going to get you, but—" His voice caught in his throat. "— I couldn't, so Snape went instead. While he was gone, Sirius, ah, had an emotional breakdown. And then you came."

Dumbledore sat back and sighed wearily, a sigh that seemed to echo and spread its sadness throughout. "If only we could find out why James is dying," he said softly, more to himself than to anyone else, "then we might be able to save him. It's not the Killing Curse. If Snape's _Avada Kedavra_ has actually been strong enough to kill, James would be dead right now. But he's not— he's slowly dying. There must have been something changed about the spell."

Suddenly, Dumbledore paused in his muttering and sniffed the air. "What _is_ that horrid smell?" he asked, wrinkling his nose.

There_ was_ a rather unpleasant odor drifting in the air. Everyone tried to trace it with their nose, but it was impossible, because the smell had permeated the entire atmosphere around them. 

Snape looked around at everyone. _What smell?_ he wondered. He watched as everyone walked around with their noses in the air, even the Headmaster. They looked so ridiculous that he couldn't keep quiet any longer. "What smell?" he demanded.

No one answered. Apparently, they were too caught up in tracing some nonexistent smell. Either that, or they were ignoring him. But the Headmaster couldn't just ignore him, could he?

Snape walked past Ariel to Dumbledore and was about to ask, "What smell?" when Ariel suddenly backed away from Snape and put her hand to her nose. "Eeew! Snape, is it you?"

Snape turned around. "Is what me?"

Ariel's cry had caught the attention of Sirius and Remus, and they walked over. Sirius, the bolder of the two, walked right up to Snape and sniffed.

"Whew! Snape, you smell! Did you pass some gas or something?"

Remus snickered, and Snape's face colored. "I did not!" he said hotly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you sound _so_ convincing." Turning to Remus, he whispered, "Remember Defense Against the Dark Farts?" and Remus laughed. In their third year, they had changed everything that said _Defense Against the Dark Arts_ to _Defense Against the Dark Farts_, including anything and everything around the classroom. It was one of the best pranks that year, because the look on their professor's face was priceless.

Dumbledore had apparently heard the tale also, and chuckled. Heartened by his response, Sirius continued. "Maybe this is what poisoned Jamesie-boy here. I can see the headlines in the Daily Prophet. 'James Potter killed by Poisonous Flatulence'."

Immediately, Lily turned away, tears welling in her eyes. Ariel slapped Sirius upside the head and hissed, "You idiot! Did you have to remind Lily that James is dying? You insensitive oaf!"

Sirius looked down at his feet and muttered, "I'm sorry. I was just joking."

In any other conditions, Ariel might have left it at that, but seeing the tears slowly rolling down Lily's face, she continued. "Just _joking_? Sirius, you're _always_ 'just joking'. All we hear is 'It was just a joke' or 'It was just a prank'! It was just a joke to you when you told Snape how to freeze the Whomping Willow and Remus almost bit him! And now reminding Lily—"

"Shhh!" Sirius hissed. "Lily doesn't know about Remus!"

"— that James is dying—" Ariel then clapped a hand to her mouth. "She doesn't?"

Lily, her eyes still a little red, glanced over at the furiously arguing couple. "Actually, I've known since the beginning of second year," she said quietly.

"Really! Wow! You noticed before we did! James— Mmph!" Ariel had clapped a hand over his mouth and kicked him not-so-subtly in the shin, hissing, "I told you not to say anything about James!"

Sirius peeled her hand from his mouth, an affronted look on his face. "That kick was uncalled for, and it hurt. All I was going to say was that James figured it out towards the end of second year," he said in a hurt voice. "Ariel, no matter what you may believe, _I'm not stupid._"

"I never said that you were. All I said was that everything you do is a prank or a joke, you don't think before you talk or act, and that you're a little insensitive sometimes."

_That_, coming from Ariel, was a major blow to Sirius's already-damaged soul. The only way he knew of to conceal his hurt was with anger. "Silvershay, you never _knew_ the real me," Sirius growled, his voice low and dangerous. "So I would keep my mouth shut about things I don't know and things that don't concern me if I were you."

"How do you know that I don't know the real you, Sirius Black?" Ariel retorted hotly. "I know much more than you think!"

Sirius snorted, and narrowing her eyes, Ariel fought to quell the temptation to physically wipe that smirk off his face. "Yeah? Then tell me what's my middle name." Inwardly, Sirius smirked triumphantly. He was sure she didn't know it, because the only people that knew were James and Remus; he always told everyone else that his middle name was Orion, just for the fun of having his initials be SOB.

Ariel sensed that smirk, but this time, she had one of her own. "Andromeda Iota. You just go around telling people it's Orion so your initials can be SOB." Then, she raised her head and looked him straight in the eyes. In a deadly calm, quiet voice— Ariel at her most dangerous— she added, "But you know what your initials really stand for, Black? SAIB— Self-Absorbed Insensitive Bastard." 

Sirius's eyes narrowed and darkened at the last part. Ariel, seeing this change, glared defiantly at him, daring him to try and hit her, so she could demonstrate why it was such a bad idea to fight with a girl. Especially when that girl happened to be Ariel Silvershay.

However, Sirius didn't take the bait. He wasn't going to start a physical fight. Instead, through clenched teeth, he said, "I will pretend I didn't hear that because I don't hit girls. And Silvershay, big deal that you know my name." He said this with careless indifference, but he was actually surprised and impressed that she knew. 

Suddenly noticing her clenched fists, he smiled inwardly, grimly. He wasn't going to start the fight, but since in the end, one would be inevitable, it might as well be her who started it. "Maybe you think sharing my bed gives you the privilege of searching through all my things. Or maybe you turned your 'charms' on James or Remus behind my back, and they blurted everything existing in their conscious mind out to you. Trust me, I know the extent of those little charms of yours, because you've turned them on me countless numbers of times since first year, trying to seduce me." Hearing his own words echoing back at him from the momentarily stunned audience, he winced. He knew he had gone a tad too far with that— maybe Ariel was right, he sometimes didn't think before he spoke. But there was no taking it back. 

Remus stalked up to Sirius, punched him square in the jaw, and said, "Padfoot, you deserve every painful bit of whatever beating Ariel is going to give you. I suggest you shut your bloody trap before I have to give you one too."

And a beating Sirius did get. Ariel drew back her hand and bitch-slapped him flat across the cheek, with such force that his head snapped to the side. Remus couldn't help but wince, but he reminded himself once again that Sirius had deliberately provoked Ariel, and stayed far away from the fight, as did Lily and Snape. 

_Too bad I'll break my heels if I try to kick him, _thought Ariel, _because if anyone deserves it, he bloody does._ She then swiftly hit him square in the face, her fist colliding almost directly with his eye. Following that was a hard blow to his stomach, then a hook to his already-sore jaw.

Sirius took his punishment silently, closing his eyes. But when he thought he heard one too many things crack, he decided that he'd been already punished thoroughly. 

"Ariel, that's enough," Sirius managed between clenched teeth.

Ariel only flashed him a daring look, and said in an insolent voice, "I don't think so, Black. You went too far this time, and you know it. You need to be taught a lesson on _keeping your bloody mouth shut_." She tried to hit him again, but this time Sirius was ready. He caught her arm and twisted it into a hold that James had taught him. This specific hold had history— James had put it on him in third year after Sirius had stolen his Invisibility Cloak. When Sirius had tried every method he knew to break free but couldn't, he had relented, then begged James to teach it to him.

However, the history went further back than Sirius knew. Ariel smirked. Apparently Sirius didn't know that it had actually been Ariel who had taught it to James, after catching him sneaking around in the girls' dormitory trying to set up a prank. He too had tried to break her hold, with no success, and the next day had asked her to teach it to him. However, no matter how many people she taught to perform the holds and locks, or how much physical strength they had, Ariel was still the master. Locks and holds were part of a fine art she had been trained and perfected in.

And Sirius should have known better than to try to beat the master at her own game.

Ariel twisted, muttering, "To hell with these heels," and tried to kick Sirius in the "family jewels". (A/N: **snickersnickercoughcough**) Sirius had realized the dangerous position he was in just in the nick of time, so he had quickly jumped to the side and was trying to force Ariel to the ground with pure, brute strength. It had finally turned into the full-fledged fight Sirius had predicted and deliberately tried to provoke. Sirius was pulling his punches as not to really hurt Ariel, only to force her to subdue, but Ariel was struggling and hissing and scratching and biting like a wildcat, trying to beat Sirius to a pulp.

Lily and Snape were watching the struggle with raised eyebrows, and Remus was trying hard to keep a half-smirk, half-grin off his face. Finally, he decided the two had been at each other's throats long enough, so he coughed something that was unmistakably, "Professor Dumbledore".

The two immediately jumped apart as if they'd been shot, Ariel managing to drive a last knee into Sirius's ribs and make it look accidental as she struggled to get to her feet. She fidgeted nervously, thinking of what a sight she must be with a torn dress robe, broken heels, and several large bruises, scratches, and other marks from her scuffle. Sirius too was fidgeting, though inwardly. _Oh shit, how could we have possibly forgotten Dumbledore was here? I'll get in so much trouble… oh god, please not expulsion…_

However, when he saw Remus's grinning face and no Dumbledore anywhere in sight, he knew something wasn't quite— right. Slowly, he glanced around. "_Remus…_" he said, his eyes narrowing slowly as he realized what had happened.

Remus started laughing. "You should have seen your faces," he said. "It was hilarious. But did you _honestly_ think Dumbledore was here? If he was, there's no way he would have let you two jump at each other's throats like that."

"Where'd he go?"

"He left when the two of you were so caught up in your arguing that you weren't paying attention to anything else. He told me that he had 'some other things to take care of'. Using Dumbledore was the only way I could think of to end your lovers' row, before you ended up killing one another— or ended up ravaging each on the ground for all the world to see," Remus added with an mischievous grin. "We'd be scarred for life if we had to see or hear that."

It took a few moments for that last part to sink in, but when it did, Sirius, his eyes wide open in mock astonishment, exclaimed, "Why— you— Remmy— you dirty, _dirty_ boy!" Then, Sirius couldn't help adding, "We can't let you become too much like me, now, can we? I think you need to be scarred— come here, Ariel baby." Sirius clucked playfully and beckoned towards a steaming Ariel, devilish roguishness shining in his eyes.

Ariel was about to hiss, "Like _hell_ I will, you two-faced bastard!" and do something that would most likely start another scuffle, when Sirius flashed her his lusty trademark wink. In his eyes, he pleaded, _Please? Just this?_ Ariel sighed inwardly, pasted on a sickeningly saccharine-sweet, adoring face, and came into his arms. As much as she despised, or rather, utterly _loathed_, Sirius at the moment, she couldn't pass up such an opportunity to tease Remus.

Plus, Sirius _was_ a good kisser…

(A/N: **cough** **pokes Solid Gold Buddhist Raccoon in the ribs**)

When she was in his arms, one of his arms gently wrapped around her waist and the other cradling her head softly, and still keeping that loving smile on her face, she hissed in his ear, "You know I'm doing this only to bother Remus, right? I still despise you." Well, that wasn't _entirely_ true, but Sirius and his overly large masculine ego didn't need to know that.

Sirius did know it, though. (A/N: I can hear and see his ego expanding… **makes face**) He rolled his eyes and whispered back, "Yeah, sure, Ariel."

She narrowed her eyes. "I _do_!"

"Uh-huh." Pause. "I can read your evil intents. No, don't kick me. It would spoil this."

Ariel muttered something that made Sirius raise his eyebrows.

"Then we might as well put on a good show and get this over with. Remember, I _still_ despise you, Sirius Black, no matter what you or your extremely over-inflated ego may believe."

Sirius didn't see the point of verbally responding to that. Instead, he lowered his head down and kissed her.

They began to snog, moaning and panting exaggeratedly, while trying hard not to burst out laughing at the same time.

"Eeew! That's disgusting! Get a room, Sirius!" yelled Remus, covering his eyes. Lily began to laugh for the first time in many long hours that night.

Sirius and Ariel grinned at each other, pleased and heartened by Lily's laugh. Ariel would do anything to help Lily forget what was emotionally wounding her, even if it was only temporarily. They came up for air, and then continued with a vengeance.

Suddenly, they heard a cough that was unmistakably from Dumbledore. "Ah, excuse me, Ms. Silvershay and Mr. Black. I hate to dampen your— enthusiasm— but will you kindly indulge in these pleasures in your own time in a more— private— place?"

They both jumped apart, Sirius muttering curses under his breath and Ariel turning red at an incredible rate. This was possibly even worse than getting caught fighting. While Ariel was carefully inspecting her fingernails, Sirius turned to Dumbledore and put a grin on his face. "Oh, sorry, Professor. We will."

Ariel not-so-subtly jabbed him in the ribs. _Shut it_, her eyes warned.

Sirius's answer was an even wider grin.

Dumbledore smiled, a smile that seemed light and joyful, that lightened the weight that had been hanging heavily on him before. "I will pretend I saw nor heard none of that, and I shall not ask how you came to be in the state I see you in. I'd rather not know how Ms. Silvershay came to have such bruises and a torn dress, especially under the circumstances I found you in…"

Hearing this, Remus began to choke. "Professor, it wasn't anything like that—"

Dumbledore laughed lightly. "As I said, Remus, I'd rather not hear any explanations. It's the festive time of the year, and I will understand any— odd— behavior, just because it's the holidays." A ghost of his younger years peeked out from behind his spectacles, giving his students an idea of what he may have been like long ago. (A/N: **cough** Lily Evans and the Sphinx's Enigma **cough nudge wink nudge cough**)

"I was in my office poking through some old books that I haven't opened in years, and I believe I have a cure." 

An unearthly silence filled the air as four bewildered minds processed the meaning of Dumbledore's words. They hung in the air, plain and clear, yet obscure at the same time. The lightness and confidence in his tone were as shocking as the words he had uttered.

Dumbledore looked up at the sky, and a snowflake drifted down to land upon his nose. The Headmaster smiled absently, then returned his attention to his students. "I will never again try to control Mother Nature, for it was the snow that gave me this idea. I would never have thought of it otherwise." He paused. "Though I would be much obliged if it would pause for the night, because this spell is difficult to set up and cast as it is, much less having to do it in the snow."

As soon as the words left his mouth, all the snowflakes in the air ceased their motion, then disappeared.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Apparently, Mother Nature still heeds my wishes. I will have to inform her that she may operate as she pleases in the future."

Immediately, slightly larger snowflakes began to fall from the sky again.

The Headmaster smiled. "Not tonight, though, if you please, Cara. We could do without the snow now, romantic as it is on a such a night." Dumbledore spared a wistful glance towards the castle where the Yule Ball was still in full swing, the professors and students oblivious to the life-or-death drama taking place at the very moment outside, and then returned his full attention to the matters at hand. The snow was still falling. "No snow, Cara, please. And it would also help if you cleared the ground."

A great gust of wind blew, knocking them back slightly, like a rebellious, reluctant sigh. In the next moment, once the wind had passed, all vestiges of snow disappeared, as if the wind had taken them with her.

"Thank you, Cara," said Dumbledore, and this time, a more agreeable breeze swept past them.

He turned back, and found open mouths and wide-eyed astonishment. Apparently, even five and a half years of attending Hogwarts— a school of magic, no less— wasn't enough to prepare them for a demonstration like that.

Remus was the first to recover from his speechlessness. "Professor, you _talk_ to Mother Nature, and you call her by her _real name??_"

Dumbledore smiled. "Actually, Remus, 'Cara' is not really a name. It's more a term of endearment, somewhere along the lines of 'dear'."

Sirius, in the process of regaining his senses, heard this and choked. He gasped out dramatically, "You call Mother Nature, the all-powerful Mother Nature, the Mother Nature that has all our futures and lives at her fingertips, '_DEAR'??_"

The Headmaster laughed. "Yes, Sirius. In all my years of asking boons and favors from her in my capacity as Headmaster, we have established a comfortable relationship."

Sirius shook his head. "But honestly, Professor, _'dear'_? Couldn't it have been more like 'Mama'—" Sirius was cut off when a powerful burst of wind bowled him over angrily. It tossed his robes around, and ran cold fingers through his hair, pulling half of it out of the sleek ponytail by his neck. After cuffing him with considerable force several times, the wind left as abruptly as it came.

Ariel laughed, and Sirius favored her with a disgruntled look that made her laugh even harder. "Sorry, _Cara_," he muttered. A warning breeze swept pass him regally, pulling out more of his hair, and Sirius scowled. "Oh, I'm not allowed to address you like that? My deepest, sincerest apologies, _all-powerful, omniscient, revered, respected Mother Nature_. This humble Sirius Black prostrates himself at your feet and begs for forgiveness for all the sins he has committed and the bad things he has done to offend thou."

This time, the breeze that came was a light chuckle, and its wispy hands neatly gathered all of Sirius's hair back into a ponytail and rearranged his robes to perfection. The breeze kissed his cheek once, then left.

Sirius just sat there, momentarily stunned. Somewhat dreamily, he said, "If only James was here to see Mother Nature herself succumb to my charm…"

Suddenly, Sirius realized what he had just said, and clapped a hand to his mouth. "Ariel— Lily— oh god, I'm so sorry— I just realized— my big mouth—"

Smiling, Lily got up and gently lay a hand on Sirius's shoulder to stop his horrified whispers. "Sirius, calm down. It's okay. If James saw you all wide-eyed and blabbering like this, he would laugh himself sick. Really, Sirius, it's ok. If I hear another 'I'm sorry' come out from your mouth, I will sic Ariel on you. Or maybe not," added Lily as an afterthought. "It wouldn't do for Professor Dumbledore to have a heart attack, would it?"

Sirius cuffed Lily on the shoulder playfully, then said, "I'm sorry, Lily."

Before Lily could react, Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly, trying to hide a smile. "Speaking of Mr. Potter—"

Everyone immediately silenced and turned their full attention to the Headmaster.

"Yes, Professor?" asked Lily, when no one else said what they all wanted to say. "I believe you mentioned a cure…"

"Yes, I did. It is my belief that James's condition was simply caused by a wand malfunction. I went back to my office and looked further into this topic, and found that these types of ailments can be cured with a slightly modified casting of another spell that produces similar effects. I have chosen _Tardum Mortis—"_

Dumbledore was cut off by Snape's consternated whisper. "But that's a Dark curse!"

"He would know," muttered Sirius out of the corner of his mouth, and Remus snickered.

Dumbledore chose to ignore Sirius's comment and continued. "Yes, Severus, I am very well aware from my previous employment as an Auror that it is a Dark curse. However, if we do not wish for James to die, it is what we must do. The spell will be modified slightly, so it will cancel out the effects in James. If all goes right, which it should, he will return to us safe and sound."

Dumbledore's confidence gave them all hope. Not the kind of hope that had almost killed Lily, but a different kind of hope that left no shadow of doubt.

Dumbledore then asked, "Have you touched upon the _Tardum Mortis curse in Defense Against the Dark Arts yet?"_

Remus shook his head and answered for all of them. "No, I believe we are supposed to learn it next year, due to the curriculum change."

Dumbledore nodded. "Oh yes, I remembered that the Ministry changed the curriculum this summer, but I just forgot whether it was to be taught in fifth or sixth year. Well… for those of you who are not familiar with _Tardum Mortis, I will give you a brief lesson." He sighed, his eyes once again taking on a look of sadness and reminiscence. "__Tardum Mortis— the Slow Death curse. It was Grindelwald's personal favorite. He thought __Avada Kedavra was too easy, too quick. We lost many an Auror to this, among them some of my best friends." He looked away for a moment, and Lily thought she could see faint traces of tears in his eyes. "Forgive me. Back to the subject— __Tardum Mortis is more complex, and much more prolonged and painful. It is like a mixture of the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse, but it never ends. The torture goes on forever. The victim is in a state of pure agony for many minutes, as the curse slowly kills his body. In __Avada Kedavra, the soul is untouched, and it simply drifts away. However, __Tardum Mortis cements the soul to the body, and as long as they are together, the soul is tortured. Forever."_

Dumbledore shuddered. "It is horrible, because your soul consists of your mind and your senses. You can feel the pain and the agony, and you know what is happening to you, but because your body is dead, you can do nothing about it. Without a body, a soul is just a mind, with no substance. Once the body is completely dead, there is no hope of reviving the person. The bond created by the curse between the body and soul cannot be broken— either a dementor will be attracted to the misery and suffering and come, or the soul will just stay there, eternally cemented to its dead body and in constant agony. A soul never dies."

Dumbledore sighed, and stood up. "_Tardum Mortis is extremely difficult to cast. There are few wizards and witches alive now who are able to perform it correctly. Like Substitution Spells, if it is not done flawlessly, there will most likely be a fatal backlash. The casting involves the Ancient Chaos symbols for Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and Soul. If cast correctly, the person's body will glow a dark red, the color of pain._

"However, I will make some modifications to the spell, which should cancel out James's condition and cause the curse to do nothing more. One of the changes is that the curse will not bond the soul to the body. If I cast the modified spell correctly, James will glow white, the color of purity, and he will waken."

Dumbledore strode over to where James lay on the ground. He whispered something, and his wand began to glow, a powerful aura of light radiating from it. Carefully, he began to trace the Ancient Chaos symbols for Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire over James's body, at the same time muttering soft words in the language of their ancestors.

Finally, the air humming, Dumbledore said, "_Fumi." A steady wisp of smoke wafted from the tip of his wand, and he traced an ellipse in the air, twisting his wand at the end. Remus recognized the smoky shape hanging in the air. It was a Moebius strip— the symbol for infinity, for eternity, and the Ancient Chaos symbol for Soul._

With a quick flick of his wand like one would sever a chain with a knife, Dumbledore passed his wand in the space beneath the smoky Moebius strip, then pointed the glowing tip at James and shouted, "_Tardum Mortis!"_

Everyone's breath caught in their throats as they waited for the aura of white to form around James, signifying the cancellation of spells. He would waken, and all would be well again…

Lily could hear her heart pounding in her ears, her heart racing wildly, as she waited for the first sign of awakening.

However, what she saw almost caused her heart to stop from shock. Instead of glowing white, James began to glow dark red…

~*~*~

(A/N: I was going to end it there, but I decided not to use this type of cliffie this time, since I've already used it before. So here's a tidbit more. I suppose you could think of it as a token of appreciation for reading this after its taken me so long to update, and maybe even an impetus to review…)

Dumbledore sat back in shock. He had never before been shocked speechless by anything in his years by Headmaster, having thought he had already seen the worse possible of humankind in his years as an Auror. He always had something gentle to say or a smile of comfort, but this time he could do neither. As James glowed dark red, the realization hit him hard. _He had just cursed his own student._

If the _Tardum Mortis curse had been put on him, James was about as good as dead. Worse than dead, actually. __How??? Why???_

There was only one possible reason. Dumbledore's analysis had been wrong, and James's life was the price they had to pay.

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Well, not much to do except ask you to please review. I am really sorry for the long delay in putting this chapter up.

Oh, one last thing. In your review, would you please honestly tell me if you think this story is clishe-ish? I was told that it was. Keep in mind, though, that the Sleeping Beauty chapter was written that was **_on purpose._**

=^.^= Merlin's Quill

  
 


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